MELTA e.V. Articles of Association

§1 The Munich English Language Teachers Association (e.V.), based in Munich, pursues purposes that are exclusively and directly of public benefit in the meaning of the chapter “Tax-privileged purposes” of the German tax code.

§2 The purpose of the association is to foster education and professional development – in particular, the education and professional development of teachers of English. This purpose is to be achieved, in particular, by implementing information and professional development events and by supporting the participation by language teachers from in and outside Germany in professional development events primarily within Germany.

§3 The association does not pursue its own interests and does not primarily engage in activities of commercial benefit to itself.

§4 The association’s financial assets may be used solely for the purposes defined in these articles of association. Members may not receive any financial consideration from association funds.

§5 No individual may benefit from expenditures that are not related to the association’s purpose or are disproportionately high.

§6 Fiscal year. The association’s fiscal year is the calendar year. Its first short fiscal year ended on December 31, 1988.

§7 Membership

1. Any natural or juridical person who teaches English, trains English teachers or fosters instruction in English in an appropriate manner may be a member of the association.
2. Individuals who do not qualify for ordinary membership but would like to enjoy the benefits provided by the association may become associate members. Such members pay half the ordinary membership fee. Membership is also open to institutions with an interest in the teaching of English as a foreign language. The last-mentioned have no voting rights, nor may they stand for election to the association’s committee.
3. To become a member, it is necessary to submit an application for membership to the association’s business address and pay the membership fee for the current fiscal year. All applications for membership must be approved by the committee.
4. Membership ends:
   1. if a written letter of resignation is submitted to the committee by registered mail or by e-mail. This letter will take effect only at the end of a calendar year and must have been submitted at least one month before the end of the calendar year.
   2. if a member is expelled from the association
   3. if a member dies.
5. The committee may expel a member from the association if his or her membership fee is still outstanding after two months and a reminder has been sent or if good cause for the expulsion has been shown.

 

§8 Governing bodies

The association’s governing bodies comprise:

1. the committee
2. the general meeting.

 

§9 The committee

1. The committee comprises the chair, the vice chair, the secretary, the treasurer and three other members to be elected by the general meeting.
2. The committee is elected by the general meeting for a term of one year. It remains in office until a new election takes place. If a member leaves the committee before the end of his or her term of office, the committee will elect by a simple majority a substitute member to serve out the departing member’s term of office.
3. The association is represented judicially and extra-judicially by the chair of the committee and the treasurer, each of whom may act independently of the other.
4. The members of the committee may receive an expense allowance. The amount of this allowance will be determined by the general meeting.

 

§10 The general meeting

1. General meetings will be convened annually by the committee with four weeks’ notice and by a personal invitation distributed by letter or e-mail to each member. This invitation will be accompanied by the meeting agenda set by the committee.
2. The committee will also convene a general meeting if it receives a written request for such a meeting, including the reason, from 25 percent of the members.
3. The duties of the general meeting include, in particular:
   1. the approval of the budget for the coming fiscal year
   2. the acceptance of the committee’s statement of accounts and the ratification of the committee’s acts
   3. the election of a committee
   4. the determination of the membership fee
   5. decisions regarding amendments to the articles of association and the association’s dissolution
   6. the election of at least one auditor (assignment: to audit the association’s accounts as well as compliance with its articles of association and the decisions of its general meeting).
4. The general meeting has a quorum if it has been properly convened. Its decisions are to be approved by a simple majority unless another procedure has been expressly provided for or decided upon. In the event of a tied vote, a proposal is deemed to be rejected.
5. The decisions of the general meeting will be recorded in minutes signed by the chair or vice chair and by the secretary.

 

§11 Membership fees

Membership fees are to be paid in advance and are due by January 31 of each year. Their amount will be determined by the general meeting.

§ 12 Dissolution of the association and transfer of the association’s assets

The association can be dissolved only by a decision of an extraordinary general meeting that has been convened with four weeks’ notice especially for this purpose. Dissolution will require a three-quarters majority of the members present.

If the association is dissolved or its current tax-privileged purpose no longer exists, its assets will be transferred to an entity under public law or to another tax-privileged corporation to be used for education and training.

Bylaws to the Articles of Association

Bylaws to the MELTA Articles of Association

as of 2022 (last amended March 27, 2021)

I. Guidelines for payments to MELTA Committee members

1. Members of the MELTA Committee will receive a single lump-sum payment of €35 a year.

2. They may receive no further payments to defray any costs incurred in the performance of their duties as MELTA Committee members.

II. Guidelines for reimbursement for attendance at external events

1. MELTA may reimburse members for the costs of attending external events (for example, INTER-ELTA meetings, IATEFL conferences and BESIG conferences).

2. The amount of such reimbursement will be determined by the MELTA Committee on a case-by-case basis, but it may not exceed €400 per person per event.

3. No more than two individuals may receive reimbursement for attending any one external event.

4. No individual may receive reimbursement for attending more than two external events in a twelve-month period.

5. Individuals receiving such reimbursement are representatives of MELTA at the events they attend. Their duties in this capacity include networking with members of other teachers’ organizations, finding speakers for MELTA workshops and reporting on the events in the MELTA News, on the MELTA website and/or at MELTA events.

III: Guidelines for payments to MELTA News editorial team and the administrator of the MELTA website

1. MELTA e.V. may pay the editorial team of the MELTA News an amount not to exceed €400 per issue. The editor may not receive more than €200 per issue. The specific amounts paid to the individual members of this team will be determined by the MELTA Committee on a case-by-case basis.
2. MELTA e.V. may pay the MELTA website administrator an amount not to exceed €300 per year. The specific amount paid to this administrator will be determined by the MELTA Committee on a case-by-case basis.
3. If a member of the editorial team or the website administrator is also a member of the MELTA Committee, such payments may be additional to the lump-sum payment defined in Section I.1 above.

IV. Guidelines for payments to MELTA members

1. MELTA is not obligated to reimburse MELTA members for any costs or to pay them for any services after the end of the calendar year in which such costs were incurred or such services were rendered.