1 §

The name of the association is the North Karelia Horticultural Association. The domicile of the Association is the region of North Karelia. The Association is a member of Puutarhaliitto – Trädgårdsförbundet ry –The Central Organization for Finnish Horticulture.

2 §

The purpose of the Association is to cherish gardening culture, to promote gardening production as well as to increase the knowledge of the field.

3 §

The Association carries out its purpose by providing dissemination of knowledge to the members of the Association as well as to non-members by organizing meetings, informational lectures, courses, exhibitions and other events.

4 §

Anyone who is willing to promote the aims of the Association can join as a permanent member. Horticultural companies and other legal entities can be supporting members. Supporting members do not have right to vote in the meetings of the Association. The General Meeting can invite Honorary Members who have meritoriously promoted the principles of the Association.

5 §

The Annual General Meeting decides the amount of the membership fee for actual members and supporting members.

6 §

The actions of the Association and the Association funds are managed by the Association Committee consisting of a Chair chosen annually by The Annual General Meeting and four actual members and two deputy members whose term of office is two years at a time and half of them resigns annually. The Association Committee shall choose from within its ranks a Deputy-Chair and a Secretary as well as a Treasurer, who does not have to be a member of the Association Committee.

The duties of the Association Committee are:

1. to ensure that the rules and decisions are obeyed
2. to control the Association funds, finance and property, all of which the Association Committee is responsible to the Association
3. to prepare points to be raised in meetings of the Association
4. to introduce new, necessary motions and
5. to prepare an annual report and an account from the past year of activity.

The Association Committee comes to session by the invitation of the Chair. The Association Committee is quorum when at least three members, including the Chair or Deputy-Chair are present.

7 § The duties of the Chair are:

1. to convene the Association Committee when needed
2. to chair the meetings of the Association Committee
3. to attend to the successful management of the Association and control that the rules are accurately obeyed.

8 § The duties of the Secretary are:

1. to prepare the minutes of the meetings as well as other documents
2. to write necessary extracts from the minutes and forward them to the parties concerned
3. to manage the correspondence of the Association
4. to prepare the annual report
5. to be responsible for the archive of the Association.

9 § The duties of the Treasurer are:

1. to save the funds of the Association and be responsible for other current assets
2. to pay the bills accepted by the Chair
3. to prepare the accounts of the calendar year for the Annual Meeting. The accounts include
4. detailed revenue and expense       vouchers.

Other than non- essential and regular expenses, decisions on payments

must be based on the decisions taken by the Association Committee.

10 §

The fiscal year of the Association is a calendar year. The financial statement with its supplements must be given to the auditors at least before two weeks prior to the Annual General Meeting.

11 §

The signatories for the Association are the Chair of the Association Committee or Deputy-Chair, any two together with the Secretary.

12 §

The Annual General Meeting shall be held yearly between January and February. Other General Meetings can be called, when the Association Committee sees it fit or when at least one tenth (1/10) of the voting members of the Association so demand in writing for a specific issue. Meetings of the Association shall be convened by the Association Committee at least 14 days prior to the date of the meeting by a circular letter or a newspaper notice in accordance with the decision taken by the Annual Meeting.

13 §

In the Annual General Meeting the following agenda shall be followed:

1. The Chairman, Secretary and two Examiners of the minutes shall be chosen.
2. The legality and quorum of the meeting are stated.
3. The annual report, the accounts, the auditors’ statement and the financial statements of the Association are presented.
4. A decision shall be made on the approval of the financial statement and on discharging the committee from accountability.
5. A decision shall be made on the amount of the membership fee.
6. The Plan of Action and Budget for the forthcoming year shall be ratified.
7. The Chair, current members and deputy members to substitute the outgoing members of the Association Committee and two auditors and two deputy auditors as well as necessary committees shall be chosen.
8. The representatives of the Association to the Central Organization for Finnish Horticulture will be elected.
9. A decision shall be made on the procedure for convening of meetings and forwarding information to the members of the Association, as stated in 12 § of the rules.
10. Other issues related to the activities of the Association will be discussed and decided.

14 §

In Association meetings every full member, apart from supporting members, shall have the right to vote. Matters in the meetings shall be decided on an open ballot by a simple majority rule vote, apart from the issues of § 15 and 16.   In the case of an election, a vote will be hold if some of the participants of the meeting so requires.

15 §

These rules can be changed in a General Meeting, if a proposal to change the rules has been outlined in the meeting invitation and if the change proposal is approved by at least three quarters (3/4) of the given votes. A proposed change including justification must be presented in writing to the Association Committee a month before the Annual Meeting.

16 §

An issue of dissolving the Association can be dealt with only in the Annual Meeting. If the dissolving of the Association is supported by three quarters (3/4) of the given vote, a new meeting will be hold in a month. The dissolving will be decided for good in that meeting. The Association will be dissolved for good, if supported by three quarters (3/4) of the given vote.

If the Association is dissolved, the assets, after the potential liabilities have been disbursed, shall be distributed as decided by the last Association General Meeting to promote the local horticulture of the region.

17 §

In other respects, the regulations of the valid Association Act will be followed.