About us – Arbeitsgemeinschaft Baltikum (working group Baltic States)

The ArGe Baltikum e.V. is committed to the promotion of Baltic Philately. We are doing this by
– issuing our own publication, the BALTIKUM
– informing with serious and truthful articles
– maintaining an up-to-date homepage
– motivating our members to participate in exhibitions

The Arge Baltikum e.V. is active in the research of postal history of the Baltic States. We are doing this by
– ensuring through a library that previous work remain accessible
– working to ensure that the postal history of the newer time is preserved for posterity.

The Arge Baltikum e.V. promotes measures to combat counterfeiting. We are doing this by
– working to ensure that our findings of forgeries and editions that are damaging to philately are made known
– ensuring that suitable auditors are always available for Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania
– working to ensure that information on counterfeits is included in catalogues to protect collectors from harm

The Arge Baltikum e.V. is an active association in the philatelic community. We achieve this by
– maintaining a partnership with other associations of the Baltic philately
– actively promoting the exchange of information

Since the year 2013, there were considerations to merge the four philatelic Baltic communities in Central Europe. In addition to multiple memberships and a decreasing number of members, resources should be pooled and new members should be found by concentrating on the whole Baltic region with partly common history of the states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

The merger took place in the course of 2015 with the fusion of the ArGe Estland e.V. with the ForGe Litauen e.V. and with personal accession of the members of the unincorporated associations ForGe Lettland and the Dutch Filatelistengroep Het baltische Gebied.

You can read a detailed chronicle on our chronicle page.

(In case of language differences the German version shall apply.)

§ 1 Name of the Association

The association bears the name 'Arbeitsgemeinschaft Baltikum e.V. im Bund Deutscher Philatelisten e.V.' (Working Group Baltic States in the Association of German Philatelists).

The association has its seat in Hennef/Sieg. Register court and place of jurisdiction of the association have their seat at the Siegburg local court. The financial year of the association is the calendar year.

§ 2 Purpose of the Association

Arbeitsgemeinschaft Baltikum is a voluntary association of philatelists for the promotion and research of philately and postal history of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

The purpose of the association is answered by

1. Securing sources, documents and research results through publication
2. Advice and support for individuals and institutions
3. Support for the establishment, exhibition and exploitation of collections
4. Maintenance of the national and international exchange of information and material through events at home and abroad
5. Promotion of young philatelic talents and
6. The protection of the collection area against falsification and destruction.

§ 3 Membership

The membership distinguishes between ordinary and extraordinary members.

1. Any natural or legal person can become a full member. Admission to the association must be applied for in writing. Persons who have their residence in Germany shall be members of an association that is affiliated to BDPh e.V.. Persons residing outside of Germany should be members of an association affiliated to the Fédération Internationale de la Philatélie (FIP) with headquarters in Luxembourg. The executive committee decides on the application for membership. Persons under 18 years of age require written consent of the parent or guardian.

2. Any natural or legal person who acts as a sponsor of the association can become an extraordinary member. Admission to the association must be applied for in writing. The executive committee decides on the application for admission. An extraordinary member is not entitled to vote. It cannot hold any offices of the association.

§ 4 Membership Fee

1. Ordinary members pay an annual membership fee. Extraordinary members do not pay a membership fee.

2. The amount of the membership fee is decided by the general meeting with a simple majority on the proposal of the executive committee. The membership fee must be paid in advance, at the latest by 31 March of the current year.

§ 5 Termination of Membership

Membership ends by:

1. Exclusion from the association
2. Withdrawal by choice
3. Death of member.

A member can be excluded from the association if his or her conduct grossly violates the interests of the association. The executive committee decides on the exclusion. Details are regulated by § 6 of the rules of procedure.

§ 6 Organs of the association

Organs of the association are the board and the general meeting (GM).

§ 7 The Management Board

The Executive Board is composed of the

1. Chairperson
2. 2. Managing director, simultaneously representative of the chairman, secretary and editor
3. Treasurer
4. Webmaster.

The executive committee is responsible for all matters of the association as far as they are not assigned to GM by the statutes, in particular:

1. Day-to-day management
2. Convening, preparing and carrying out the GM
3. Drawing up the agenda in accordance with the Rules of Procedure
4. Initiation and implementation of GM decisions
5. Creating the cash report
6. Drawing up the annual report
7. Public Relations.

The Board of Directors is elected by the General Meeting for a period of three years.

Chairman, managing director and treasurer represent the association in and out of court as individuals.

§ 8 The general meeting

The general meeting is composed of the ordinary members of the association present in person.

They are responsible for the:

1. Election and dismissal of members of the Executive Board
2. Receipt of the annual report
3. Receipt of the cash report and the auditors' report
4. Discharge of the Management Board
5. Determination of the membership fee
6. Resolution on amendments to the Articles of Association, dissolution and merger of associations
7. Resolution on the exclusion of members.

The ordinary general meeting meets once a year. It is convened by the executive committee in writing or electronically, with a notice period of four weeks, stating the place and time of the meeting and the agenda.

An extraordinary general meeting is to be convened by the executive committee. In addition, it must be convened if at least 10% of the ordinary members demand it in writing.

The chairman or another member of the board as defined by § 26 BGB must sign the minutes of the general meeting.

§ 9 Cash audit

The treasurer's report, including the accounts of expenditure operations, shall be subject to audit by two auditors.

These are to be elected for three years from the ordinary members present at GM. They must report to GM in writing.

Members of the executive committee are not eligible to be elected as cash auditors. A re-election of the cash auditors is possible once.

Details are governed by the Rules of Procedure.

§ 10 Dissolution of the association

The dissolution of the Association, including its merger with one or more registered associations (e.V.), is subject to the provisions of the German Civil Code (BGB) in conjunction with the German Transformation Act (UmwG).

It requires an GM specially convened for this purpose and at least a majority of three quarters of the ordinary members present in person at the GM.

Unless the general meeting decides otherwise, the chairman and the managing director are jointly authorised liquidators.

In the event of dissolution or withdrawal of legal capacity, a domestic and non-profit philatelic successor organisation to the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Baltikum e.V. will be appointed as the entitled recipient of the association's assets in accordance with § 45 BGB.

In the event that a domestic and non-profit philatelic successor organisation is not founded, the association's assets will be donated in equal shares to the post museums under public sponsorship of the Republic of Estonia in Tartu, the Republic of Latvia in Riga and the Republic of Lithuania in Vilnius.