BY-LAW OF ESTONIAN FOLKLORE COUNCIL
1. Name, location, aim and financial year
1.1. Name of the non-governmental organisation in Estonian: EESTI FOLKLOORINÕUKOGU, in English: ESTONIAN FOLKLORE COUNCIL.
1.2. Location of the Board of Council: Tallinn, Republic of Estonia.
1.3. The aim of the Council is to support and develop national and international folklore movement and to organize and coordinate the cooperation in the sphere of folklore.
1.4. Council is a national voluntary cooperation organisation, that activities proceed from the Recommendation of the Safeguarding of Traditional Culture and Folklore by UNESCO (adopted at the 25th session of the UNESCO Main Conference on November 15, 1989 in Paris).
1.5. Council represents the Republic of Estonia in International Council of Organizations for Folklore Festivals and Folk Art (Le Conseil International des Organisations de Festivals de Folklore et d’Arts Traditionells, NGO in formal consultative relations with UNESCO, abbreviation CIOFF®) in the rights of Estonian National Section (CIOFF® Estonian National Section, abbreviation CIOFF®ESTONIA).
1.6. The financial year of the Council starts on 1st of January and ends on 31st of December.
1.7. For its constitutional aims Council:
1.7.1. gathers and mediates the information of folklore activities in Estonia and outside;
1.7.2. organizes beneficent events for supporting the field of traditional culture and for introducing and popularizing traditional forms of folk art;
1.7.3. supports folklore activities and advises folklore bearers;
1.7.4. analysis and generalizes the situation, develop tendencies and problems of traditional culture and presents proposals of the topic to Estonian Ministry of Culture, to Estonian Ministry of Education and Research and to Cultural Affairs Committee of the Parliament of Estonia;
1.7.5. propagates Estonian folklore in national and international level, accepts folklore based decisions and proposals;
1.7.6. organizes and mediates gatherings, exchanges and dispatches of folklore groups, specialists and organizers;
1.7.7. organizes training of tradition culture, composes and gives out corresponding educational materials;
1.7.8. helps in organizing folklore festivals and other folklore events;
1.7.9. maintains close cooperation with the relevant national authorities;
1.7.10. prepares and manages the International Folklore Festival BALTICA in Estonia.
1.8. Council has a right to:
1.8.1. create funds, give out scholarships, grants and awards.
2. Members, their rights and obligations
2.1. Council has members and honorary members. Council can have associate members, whose status is established in the meeting of the Board.
2.2. A member or a honorary member of the Council can be every legal person or voluntary union of individuals or an individual, who recognizes the aims and the By-law of the Council.
2.3. Being a member of the Council is not restricted by age or nationality.
2.4. To become a member of the Council, one needs to forward a written application for the Board.
2.5. Name of a honorary member is termless and assigning is decided by the General Meeting on the proposal of the Board.
2.6. Members of the Council pay annual membership fee, the amount and the regulation of payment are decided by the General Meeting.
2.7. Honorary members of the Council are released from the membership fee.
2.8. Member of the Council has a right to:
2.8.1. take part of the General Meeting;
2.8.2. elect and being elected to the Board of the Council;
2.8.3. get information about the activities of the Council;
2.8.4. make proposals and inquiries and call convoke the extraordinary General Meeting if needed;
2.8.5. make the written application to the Board to release from the membership fee;
2.8.6. make the written application to leave from the Council;
2.8.7. use other rights that the By-law rule.
2.9. Member of the Council is obligated to fulfil the requirements of the By-law and the legal decisions of the Board.
2.10. Membership of the Council ends when:
2.10.1. the member organisation ends its activities;
2.10.2. the member leaves on his own will after submitting a written application;
2.10.3. the member is excluded by the General Meeting on the proposal of the Board because his activities do not accord on the By-law and the principles of the Council or his activities damage the reputation of the Council significantly.
2.11. Membership fee is not paid back for the member who has left or excluded from the Council.
3. General Meeting
3.1. The supreme authority of the Council belongs to the General Meeting of its members. Legal persons or unions of individuals are represented on the General Meeting by one delegate.
3.2. General Meeting makes decisions in every activity and managing aspect of the Council that is not given in the competence of the Board or other structural body of the Council with the law or with current By-law, but its sole competence includes:
3.2.1. making changes in the By-law and in the aims of the activities;
3.2.2. confirming the number of the members of the Board;
3.2.3. electing the Board and establishing the auditor;
3.2.4. confirming the report of the financial year;
3.2.5. naming the honorary member on the proposal of the Board;
3.2.6. establishing the annual membership fee and the regulation of payment;
3.2.7. deciding the joining, dividing or ending of the Council.
3.3. General Meeting is convoked at least once a year by the Board.
3.4. The Board convokes the General Meeting by sending written invitation with the agenda to the members of the Council at least two weeks before the meeting date.
3.5. General Meeting is judicial when at least ½ of the members of the Council or their authorized delegates are participating.
3.6. The decision of the General Meeting is accepted when at least over half of the members of the Council or their authorized delegates vote for it and if the By-law of the Council or the law does not foresee a requirement of bigger majority of votes.
3.7. An extraordinary General Meeting is convoked with the decision of the Board or with the written request of at least ½ of the members of the Board. The extraordinary General Meeting takes place 30 days after presenting the request, at the latest.
4. The Board
4.1. The activities of the Council are managed and represented by the Board.
4.2. The minimum of the members of the Board is 3 (three) and the maximum is 9 (nine) persons.
4.3. The member of the Board can be recalled only if he has not fulfilled the obligations significantly or if he is incapable in leading the Board.
4.4. The mandate of the Board lasts for three calendar years.
4.5. The rights and obligations of the Board:
4.5.1. chooses the Chairman and the Vice-chairman of its members. The Chairman is the national delegate of CIOFF® Estonia;
4.5.2. the Chairman represents the Council in all legal actions individually, other members of the Board represent the Council jointly;
4.5.3. maintains the contacts with the national authorities;
4.5.4. forms commissions and working groups in organizing the work of the Council, if needed;
4.5.5. accepts and excludes the members of the Council;
4.5.6. establishes the status of associate member;
4.5.7. releases from the membership fee on the basis of the written application;
4.5.8. gives needed information to the members of the Council about the leading;
4.5.9. presents the report of the financial year on the General Meeting;
4.5.10. assigns the Executive Secretary.
5. Other organs
5.1. The executive structural body of the Council is the Secretariat.
5.2. Executive Secretary is assigned by the Board of the Council.
5.3. Executive Secretary is accountable to the Board of the Council.
5.4. Executive Secretary:
5.4.1. manages daily activities of the Council;
5.4.2. compiles the budget and the activity plan of the Council and presents these to the Board for approval;
5.4.3. compiles the report of the financial year and presents it to the Board for approval;
5.4.4. uses, commands and holds the material and financial instruments of the Council;
5.4.5. manages the accountancy of the Council;
5.4.6. compiles statements and reports for CIOFF® World Congresses;
5.4.7. prepares and organizes the International Folklore Festival BALTICA in Estonia.
6. Joining, dividing and ending
6.1. Joining, dividing and ending of the Council are enacted in terms of regulations of the law.
6.2. Liquidation of the Council is done by the members of the Board or persons determined by the General Meeting.
6.3. In case of ending the activities of the Council, after fulfilling the demands of the creditors, the remained property is given to non-governmental organisations or foundations with similar aims and who belong to the list of non-governmental organisations and foundations with income tax incentive or to public-law legal person, to the state or to the local authority.
The current By-law is accepted on the General Meeting of the members of the Council on 12th of March 2011 in Tallinn.