The UIPCG (International Union of Confectioners, Pastrycooks and Ice Cream Makers) was founded in 1954. Its members are national associations of self-employed master confectioners.
Member countries Position at 1 February 2008: AUSTRIA, BRAZIL, BULGARY, CYPRUS, CZECH REPUBLIC, DENMARK, FINLAND, GERMANY, GREECE, HUNGARY, ITALY, JAPAN, LUXEMBOURG, NETHERLANDS, NORWAY, POLAND, PORTUGAL, SWEDEN, SWITZERLAND, TAIWAN Executive Committee of the UIPCG from 1 uary 2008 to 31 December 2011 Elected during the general meeting in Tokyo, Japan on 19 November 2007 President Vice-President General Secretary Treasurer Members of the executive committee Honorary President Honorary Member Auditors
Name and Head Office Article 1 1. The association shall bear the name: International Union of Confectioners, Pastrycooks and Ice-Cream Makers (UIPCG, abbreviation of the French name) 2. The head office of the association shall be in 3. The office of the secretariat shall be determined by the general meeting for the duration of the period of office. Relocation of the secretariat's office within the period of office may only take place for good cause and shall require a majority decision according to paragraph 4 of Article 19. 4. The office of the bank and the treasurer shall be determined by the general meeting for the duration of the period of office. Relocation of the secretariat's office within the period of office may only take place for good cause and shall require a majority decision according to paragraph 4 of Article 19. ACCOUNT
Official Languages Article 2 1. The official languages of the International Association shall be German, English, French and Spanish. 2. The German version shall apply in the event of difficulties with the interpretation of these statutes.
Tasks Article 3 The tasks of the International Association shall be as follows: 1. To use all the means at its disposal to represent the interests of confectioners, pastry cooks and ice-cream makers at international and national level with the competent authorities, institutions and organisations in the fields of economics, science, vocational training and education. 2. To support the affiliated member associations in the fulfilment of their legal tasks and tasks in accordance with the statutes. 3. To urge confectioners, pastrycooks and ice-cream makers to produce high-quality products and increase the reputation of members among the general public.
Membership Article 4 The official national associations of the above-mentioned craft trades shall be entitled to become members of the International Association. Article 5 The application for membership in the International Association shall be sent in writing to the general secretariat. This application shall be included in the agenda of the next meeting of the executive committee. The executive committee shall take a decision on whether to accept the application for membership. If the executive committee rejects the application for membership, an application for a decision by the general meeting may be made. Article 6 1. Membership shall commence on the date of the decision relating to the application for membership. 2. Membership shall end if the national association resigns according to Article 7, if it is excluded according to Article 8 or if the conditions for membership under the statutes no longer apply. Article 7 A member may only resign from the International Association at the end of the financial year. Notice of resignation shall be sent in writing to the general secretariat at least three months in advance. The general secretariat shall inform the general secretariat immediately. Article 8 1. In particular, the executive committee may take a decision to exclude
a member from the International Association if 1. it grossly or persistently infringes the statutes or fails to comply
with the resolutions or instructions of the organs of the International
Association according to the statutes. Article 9 Members leaving the International Association shall lose all claims to the Association's assets. They shall still be obliged to pay the membership fees which were due up to the date of their resignation. Their contractual and other obligations towards the International Association shall not be affected by their resignation. Article 10 Apart from Article 13, every member shall have the same rights and obligations. Article 11 The members shall be obliged to co-operate in the performance of the tasks of the International Association and comply with the provisions of the statutes and the resolutions and instructions of the organs of the International Association according to the statutes, unless their own national legislation stipulates otherwise.
Right to vote Article 12 The representatives of the members shall be entitled to vote at the general meeting. Article 13 Every member shall have at least one representative. Every representative shall have one vote. If the member pays up to 1,000 Euros, it shall only have one representative. If the member pays up to 2,000 Euros, it shall have two representatives. A member paying more than 2,000 Euros shall receive three representatives. The votes accruing to a member may only be cast uniformly. Article 14 1. A member's representative shall not be entitled to vote if the membership fees for previous financial years have not been transferred to the official account of the International Association (UIPCG) by the voting date. 2. The general secretariat shall sent the member a notice as evidence of payment.
Organs Article 15 The organs of the International Association shall be: 1. The general meeting
General meeting Article 16 1. The general meeting shall comprise the representatives of the member associations. The general meeting shall take decisions on all matters of the International Association, unless they are the responsibility of the executive committee. 2. The general meeting shall perform the following tasks in particular. 1. Approval of the budget plan and expenditure which is not contained
in the budget plan. Article 17 An ordinary general meeting shall be held at least every two years. Extraordinary general meetings may be held if the executive committee so decides. They shall be convened if an application is sent in writing to the executive committee with ¼ of the votes of all members and quoting the purpose and reasons. Article 18 1. In agreement with the chairman of the executive committee, the general secretariat shall send members a written invitation to the general meeting at least eight weeks before the meeting together with an agenda. 2. The chairman of the executive committee shall preside at the general meeting. 3. Minutes of the discussions held at the general meeting shall be drawn up and shall contain a record of all resolutions, elections and agreements. The minutes shall be by the chairman and the general secretary, or by their representatives if they are prevented from doing so. The minutes shall be sent to the member associations. The minutes shall be deemed to have been accepted if no objections are received within two months. Agreements on resolutions shall be clearly designated as such. The contents of the resolutions shall be determined before they are agreed and the casting of individual votes shall be recorded. 4. All written documents shall be sent to the official office of the member association. Changes to the delivery address shall be notified immediately in writing to the general secretariat. Article 19 1. The general meeting shall constitute a quorum if at least half of all members are present. If a member association is unable to attend the meeting, it may be represented by another member association through a written power of attorney. 2. If, in an exceptional case, at least half of all members are not present at the general meeting, a second general meeting may be convened immediately by a majority decision. This second general meeting shall then constitute a quorum irrespective of the number of members present. 3. Resolutions by the general meeting shall be adopted with a simple majority, unless otherwise stipulated. If the number of votes cast is identical, the chairman shall have the casting vote. 4. A qualified majority of 2/3 of the votes shall be required for the following matters which shall be included on the agenda when the general meeting is convened. 1. Dissolution of the International Association. Article 20 The elections during the general meeting shall be held using secret ballot-papers. Voting by acclamation shall be permitted with the exception of the election of the chairman and his deputy if nobody objects. Minutes of the elections shall be drawn up.
Executive committee Article 21 1. The executive committee shall comprise the chairman, his deputy, the retiring chairman, the treasurer and the delegates of five elected members. An employee of a member association may not be elected as chairman or deputy chairman. The chairman shall act as head of the executive committee. If he is unable to attend meetings of the executive committee, his deputy shall act as chairman. If this deputy is unable to attend meetings, they shall be chaired by a member of the executive committee elected by majority. 2. The term of office of the executive committee shall be four years. At the end of their term of office, the members of the executive committee shall remain in office until their successors have taken up their posts. With the exception of the chairman, members of the executive committee may be re-elected. If members resign from the executive committee before the end of their term of office, a new election for the remaining term of office shall be held at the next general meeting. Article 22 1. The chairman of the executive committee and his deputy shall be elected separately during the general meeting by secret ballot with an absolute majority. If the majority of votes are not cast for one person, a deciding ballot shall be held involving the two persons who received the most votes. In this case, the person receiving the most votes shall be regarded as elected. The other members of the executive committee shall be elected by means of a simple majority. 2. The chairman of the executive committee shall be elected under the supervision of the returning officer to be appointed by the general meeting. The other members of the executive committee shall be elected under the supervision of the president of the executive committee. Article 23 1. The meetings of the executive committee shall be held as and when required. They shall be convened at the request of at least 1/3 of the members of the executive committee 2. The chairman of the executive committee shall send a written invitation to the meetings of the executive committee along with an agenda. The chairman shall chair the meetings of the executive committee. 3. The executive committee shall constitute a quorum if more than half of all its members, including the chairman or his deputy, are present. If a member of the executive committee is prevented from attending a meeting, he/she may be represented by another member by means of a written power of attorney. 4. Resolutions shall be adopted by means of a simple majority. If the number of votes is identical, the chairman shall have the casting vote. 5. In urgent matters, a resolution may also be adopted in writing by the executive committee. In this case, all members of the executive committee shall be informed in writing and a period of at least eight days shall be set for casting votes. The provisions of the previous paragraphs 3 and 4 shall apply analogously. 6. Minutes of the meetings of the executive committee shall be drawn up and shall contain all the resolutions. The minutes shall be signed by the chairman and the general secretary, or by their representatives if they are unable to perform this task. Except in the case of confidential matters, a copy of the minutes shall be sent to all member associations. Article 24 The president (or if he unable to do so, his deputy) and the general secretary shall represent the International Association jointly (UIPCG). Article 25 1. The executive committee shall take all the decisions of the International Association, unless the provisions of the statutes stipulate that they are the responsibility of the general meeting. 2. The general secretary shall be responsible for dealing with the day-to-day administration of the International Association. He shall represent the International Association alone in this respect. Day-to-day administration shall be all administrative tasks which re-occur regularly in terms of their nature and extent. 3. The president and the general secretary shall empower the treasurer to make payments. 4. The executive committee shall prepare the discussions to be held during the general meeting and shall carry out its resolutions. 5. The executive committee may set up working parties to deal with special questions or consult experts regarding special matters.
Auditors Article 26 The auditors elected during the general meeting may not act as members of the executive committee. Their task shall be to audit the annual accounts and present a report on the annual accounts at the general meeting.
General Secretary Article 27 1. The International Association shall set up a general secretariat which shall be run by a general secretary. The general secretary shall conduct the day-to-day business of the International Association according to the detailed instructions of the executive committee. The general secretary shall be responsible to the executive committee for the performance of the tasks of the general secretariat and for the proper performance of all tasks. The general secretary shall be invited to meetings of the executive committee and general meetings. 2. The executive committee shall elect the general secretary for one term of office by means of a simple majority. . 3. The general meeting may only remove the general secretary during the term of office for good cause with a majority of 2/3 of votes. 4. The general secretary shall receive a remuneration for his work. The level of this remuneration shall be determined by the executive committee.
Membership fees Article 28 1. The costs incurred by the International Association shall be covered by membership fees, unless this is possible through other sources of income. Travelling expenses, accommodation costs and other costs incurred by the members of the association or the members' delegates shall not be refunded by the International Association. 2. The fee to be paid by every member association shall be based on a formula stipulated by the executive committee. The membership fee shall be fixed annually by the general meeting when the budget plan is approved. 3. Extraordinary fees may also be levied in accordance with a decision of the general meeting. 4. If a member joins the International Association during the financial year, the executive committee may fix the membership fee according to the remaining period in the year. 5. Expenses, e.g. travelling expenses and accommodation costs of the treasurer and general secretary, shall be borne by the UIPCG.
Budget plan/annual accounts Article 29 1. The business and financial year shall be the calendar year. 2. The executive committee of the International Association shall prepare an annual budget plan for the following financial year showing the expenditure required to perform the work of the International Association. The executive committee shall then submit this budget plan to the general meeting for a decision. 3. The executive committee of the International Association shall be bound in its administration to the adopted budget plan. Article 30 The executive committee of the International Association shall prepare accounts for the previous financial year within the first six months of the current financial year and shall submit them to the general meeting for approval after auditing.
Amendment of the statutes Article 31 1. Applications to amend the statutes of the International Association shall be sent in writing to the executive committee. Members shall be informed about these applications along with the agenda when the general meeting is convened. 2. A majority of 2/3 of the represented votes shall be required for decisions on amendments to the statutes of the International Association.
Dissolution of the International Association Article 32 1. Applications to dissolve the International Association shall be sent in writing to the executive committee. They shall be notified to the members at the same as the agenda when the general meeting is convened. 2. A decision to dissolve the International Association may only be taken with a majority of 2/3 of the members entitled to vote. If 2/3 of the votes of all members are not present during the first general meeting, a second general meeting shall be convened within four months. The decision to dissolve the International Association may be taken with a majority of 2/3 of the represented votes during this second general meeting. Article 33 1. In the event of dissolution of the International Association, the members shall be obliged to pay the membership fees for the current financial year to the liquidators appointed by the general meeting. 2. The assets of the International Association shall be used initially to meet its debts. The remaining assets shall be distributed to the members according to their annual membership fees provided they have paid these fees.
Badges of honour Article 34 1. Silver badge of honour A national association may award, at its own discretion, a silver badge of honour of the UIPCG to an important personality in the country or association. The badge of honour and a certificate may be obtained from the secretariat in return for a charge. 2. Golden badge of honour An application for a golden badge of honour shall be sent in writing to the secretariat quoting the services and the name of the person in question. The award of this badge shall be approved by the executive committee. The badge of honour and a certificate shall be provided in return for a charge.
Competitions Article 35 The UIPCG shall organise the following competitions in conjunction with the national associations and their exhibition organisers. 1. Every two years in even years: The Under-25 World Championships for young confectioners, chocolate producers and ice-cream makers. 2. Every two years in odd years the "World Skills" will take place. 3. The World Championships in the Master Class for confectioners, chocolate producers and ice-cream makers depends on the offer from the member countries. The competitions may only be held on condition that at least 12 countries participate. These statutes were adopted during the general meeting in Brno on 21 October 1999. Signed: Otto Kemmer Signed: Robert Widmann President / General Secretary Satzung geändert am 21. Juni 2003 in St. Gallen. Signed: Dr. Paulus Stuller Signed: Robert Widmann |