Internal Regulations
INTERNAL REGULATIONS
FROM THE ASSOCIATION OF STATIONERY AND GIFT PROFESSIONALS (APPG)
CHAPTER I
OF THE ASSOCIATION
Article 1
(Scope)
1. The Association is governed by its Statutes, these Internal Regulations and, in cases not covered by both, the applicable legislation.
2. The purpose of the Association is what is described in article 3 of the Association's Statutes.
CHAPTER II
OF MEMBERS
Article 2
1. The admission of members is the responsibility of the Board and will be carried out through a proposal that must comply with the following rules:
a) Completion by the proponent of an admission proposal using a model previously approved by the Board, which may be in printed or digital format, on the Association's website, which must include the electronic address for future notifications and authorization for data processing;
b) Acceptance by the proponent and commitment to comply with the standards and principles established in the Statutes and Internal Regulations;
2. The decision to refuse membership must be reasoned.
Article 3
(Exclusion)
The acquisition of membership status and admission is described in article 8 of the Association's Statutes, meaning exclusion results from non-compliance with it.
CHAPTER III
BOARD
SECTION TO GENERAL ASSEMBLY
Article 4 (Constitution)
1. The General Assembly is made up of all associates in full enjoyment of their rights.
2. Full enjoyment of their rights is understood as having full legal capacity, not being subject to disciplinary measures of member suspension and being solvent with all obligations towards the Association until the date of the General Assembly.
Article 5
(Notice of the General Assembly)
1. General Assemblies are convened by their President by email with acknowledgment of receipt/reading, at least eight working days in advance, and the notice must designate the day, time and place of the meeting and the respective agenda.
2. Members who have not provided an email address will be summoned by registered letter with acknowledgment of receipt to the address indicated by them at least eight working days before the date of registration of the CTT, and the invitation must contain the information indicated at number one.
3. If the president is unable to attend or is absent, the call may be made by the vice-presidents, or successively by the secretary.
4. General Assemblies are held on first call, with the presence of at least half plus one of the members entitled to vote and with the presence of any number, on second call, scheduled for half an hour after the first.
Article 6
(Associate representation)
1. The member may be represented at the General Assembly.
2. In the case of a natural person, but complying with the provisions of article 8 of the Statutes, the member may be represented by another member, by issuing a declaration granting him/her the necessary powers for the intended purposes.
3. In the case of a legal person, but complying with the provisions of article 8 of the Statutes, the member will be represented by a natural person that he/she indicates through a credential duly signed by his/her legal representatives.
4. Participation in meetings may be by teleconference, with the identification of members who do so recorded in the minutes.
Article 7
(Competence)
In addition to legal and statutory powers, the General Assembly is also responsible for deciding on any other matter presented to it and which is not the exclusive responsibility of another corporate body.
Article 8
(Deliberations)
1. The General Assembly cannot deliberate on a matter that is not included in the agenda, unless all members attend the meeting and all agree with the addition.
2. Deliberations taken at validly constituted General Assemblies are mandatory, even for those who have not participated in the respective session.
3. If there are more than two deliberation proposals on the table dealing with the same subject, the one with the highest number of votes will be approved.
4. In case of a tie, the vote will be repeated.
Article 9
(Board of the General Assembly)
1. The effective members who have been elected for this purpose assume the position at the General Assembly.
2. The absence of any effective member of the General Assembly board will be filled by another associate to be appointed.
3. When two members are missing, the president, or whoever represents him, will nominate from among the associates present those necessary to fill the absences.
4. In the absence of elected members, the Assembly will be responsible for appointing replacements.
5. The chairman of the board appointed under the terms of the previous number, in turn, will appoint the secretaries who will assist him.
Article 10
(Duties of the President of the Board of the General Assembly)
1. It is the responsibility of the President of the Board of the General Assembly:
a) To convene ordinary and extraordinary General Assemblies that are legally requested and/or whenever he deems it convenient;
b) Checking the quorum, directing the work of the sessions;
c) To swear in the Board elected by the General Assembly;
d) Calling roll-call votes;
e) Organize the agenda, submit the respective points for discussion and bring them to an end;
f) To authenticate the minutes with their signature once they have been approved by the General Assembly;
g) Inform the General and dictate the results of the Assembly's deliberations into the minutes;
h) Ensure that the Assembly's deliberations are fully complied with;
2. The secretaries are responsible for assisting the president in his duties, ensuring all the Assembly's business, namely, writing the minutes of the sessions.
Article 11
(Duties of the Secretaries of the General Assembly)
The secretaries of the General Assembly are responsible for:
a) cooperating with the president in all his functions, namely, writing and reading the minutes;
b) keep the minutes books, as well as the General Meeting files, in custody.
SECTION II
FROM THE EXECUTIVE BOARD
Article 12
(Composition)
1. The Board is made up of a president, three vice-presidents, a secretary, a treasurer and a member.
2. The president is replaced in his absence or impediment by one of the vice-presidents, with any other substitutions being decided by the Executive Board.
Article 13
(Competence)
The Executive Board is the corporate body responsible for:
a) Represent the Association in court or out of court, through its president, who may delegate this representation;
b) Carry out all acts that prove necessary for the execution of the Association's corporate purpose, within the principles and rules contained in the Statutes and Internal Regulations;
c) Direct and manage the affairs of the Association, complying with and enforcing all statutory and regulatory provisions, as well as the decisions of the Executive Board and the deliberations of the General Assembly;
d) Admit or reject candidates for membership;
e) Hold ordinary and extraordinary meetings whenever necessary;
f) Have minutes of all meetings drawn up by the acting secretary;
g) Request the president of the General Assembly to convene an Assembly whenever he deems it convenient or necessary, always justifying such request;
h) Submit the financial report on its activities for approval by the Ordinary General Assembly, which must be available to members at the Association's headquarters at least eight working days before the date of the General Assembly meeting;
i) Have the accounts duly updated and compiled, making them available whenever the Supervisory Board requests them;
j) Hire or fire workers if necessary and establish their remuneration and skills, in accordance with the interests of the Association;
k) Appoint auxiliary committees or working groups for special issues or any other issues within their competence;
l) Submit to the General Assembly for consideration all matters that it considers important and that are not provided for in the Statutes or Internal Regulations;
m) Prepare the regulations that it deems necessary for full compliance with the Statutes and operation of the Association, as well as the deliberations of the General Assembly that imply such regulation;
n) Organize events, congresses, publicity actions and conferences or authorize any of the associates or third parties to organize them under the terms contained in the authorization granted;
o) Deliberate on proposals, requests or complaints presented by members.
Article 14
(Executibe Board Decisions)
1. Any decision of the Executive Board that does not fall within the scope of its powers may be appealed, with suspensive effect, to the General Assembly, to be filed by any member, within ten working days from the date of knowledge of such decision.
2. The appeal will be filed by reasoned request, sent to the Association via registered mail or delivered in person, indicating the legal, statutory or regulatory rules violated by the Executive Board in the decision it took, ending with a proposal for deliberation to the General Assembly.
3. Upon receipt of the appeal, the Executive Board will communicate the fact within five working days to the president of the General Assembly, who will call a General Assembly to be held within thirty days and which will deliberate on the proposal presented in the appeal.
4. The decision of the General Assembly given under the previous paragraph is definitive and cannot be appealed.
Article 15
(Meetings)
1. The Executive Board must meet ordinarily every thirty days or whenever it deems necessary, recording in its own book the resolutions that are taken by a majority of the votes of the members present, with the president having the right to cast a casting vote.
2. Any decision by the Executive Board is only valid after it has been approved by minutes.
3. A member who fails to attend four consecutive meetings will lose his position on the Board, as long as he does not provide a justification, and this is considered and accepted by the majority of its members.
Article 16
(Confidentiality)
1. Any member of the Executive Board is prohibited from disclosing the subjects or matters discussed at the respective meetings.
2. Anyone who violates the provisions of the previous paragraph incurs a serious disciplinary offense, being subject to the respective disciplinary action.
Article 17
(Accountability)
Documents that involve responsibility for the Executive Board, such as contracts, protocols, access or movement of the Association's bank accounts, will be signed jointly by two members of the Executive Board, one of which must be the president and a vice-president. In the absence of the President, two vice-presidents may sign jointly, except for acts of mere business, in which the signature of a member of this body is sufficient.
Article 18
(Competences of the President)
It is the responsibility of the President of the Executive Board to:
a) Represent the Association before any public or private authority and official entities;
b) Direct the work during Executive Board meetings, designate the respective agenda and call extraordinary meetings;
c) Grant powers to members appointed to auxiliary committees;
d) Request from the president of the General Assembly the convening of an ordinary/extraordinary Assembly whenever it deems appropriate.
e) Sign correspondence and carry out all secretarial work, supervising all the Association's services;
f) Sign payment orders authorized by the Executive Board.
Article 19
(Competences of the Vice-President)
The vice-presidents of the Executive Board are responsible for assisting the president in all his functions and replacing him in his absence or whenever necessary.
Article 20
(Competences of the Secretary)
The Secretary of the Executive Board is responsible for:
a) Preparing all the secretariat's files and informing the president and other members of the Board;
b) Verify, together with the president, the accuracy of all documents received and sent;
c) Deliver to the secretary of the General Assembly, for the purposes of its legal constitution, the list of members in full enjoyment of their rights.
Article 21
(Competences of the Treasurer)
The treasurer is responsible for:
a) Receive the quotas and other amounts allocated to the Association, signing the respective receipts with the president and secretary;
b) Make payments authorized by the Executive Board;
c) Make deposits into the Association’s bank accounts;
d) Be responsible for the values that are in your custody.
SECTION III
OF THE FISCAL COUNCIL
Article 22
(Composition)
1. The Fiscal Council is made up of a president, a rapporteur and a secretary.
2. The president is replaced in his absence or impediment by the rapporteur and the latter by the secretary.
Article 23
(Competences of the Fiscal Council)
In addition to legal and statutory powers, the Fiscal Council is also responsible for:
a) Assist the Executive Board with their opinion, whenever requested or deemed appropriate, for which they may attend meetings, but may not interfere in their work;
b) Examine the Association's accounts, directly or through technicians hired for this purpose;
c) Hold annual ordinary and extraordinary sessions whenever necessary;
d) Write the minutes of the meetings, in the respective book, and they must be signed by the respective associates present;
e) Properly inform yourself about the Executive Board compliance with statutes and regulations.
CHAPTER IV
DISCIPLINARY ACTION
Article 24
(Constitution)
The sanctions to be applied in disciplinary proceedings are described in article 12 of the Association's Statutes.
Article 25
(Exercise of disciplinary action)
1. Disciplinary action is the responsibility of the Association's Executive Board, except in the case where the defendant in the investigation or disciplinary process is a member of the Management, in which case disciplinary action is the responsibility of the president of the General Assembly.
2. Disciplinary action carried out by the president of the General Assembly is based on unofficial or declared knowledge of facts or facts carried out by a member or members of the Executive Board, which may form part of a disciplinary offense or a well-founded complaint presented by an associate, and begins with the President's decision to open an investigation or disciplinary process, appointing an instructor for this purpose, whether associated or not.
CHAPTER VD
QUOTAS
Article 26
(Non-payment)
1. Associates who fail to comply with the obligation to pay their Quota will be deprived of the use of their rights as a associate and will only be able to enjoy them again after full payment of the outstanding amount.
2. Any member who is in debt due to non-payment of their Fee for a period of more than 60 days will be subject to the respective disciplinary proceedings.
CHAPTER VI
OF THE ELECTORAL ACT
Article 27
(Electoral principles)
1. Elections for the Board of the APPG uphold the principles of freedom of opinion when presenting lists.
2. A single list will be presented to the General Assembly, Executive Board and Fiscal Council for each of the candidates;
3. Notification of elections must be at least 60 days prior to the date of the election, considering the deadline stipulated in article 31, point 2., for the presentation of lists and at least 15 days for them to be formed.
4. No member can be represented in more than one elective body, or run for more than one list.
5. The right to vote can be exercised in person or by correspondence in accordance with article 31, point 10.
6. Each member in full enjoyment of their associative rights is entitled to one vote.
7. Anyone who has committed disciplinary infractions provided for in the Association's Statutes will not be able to apply while the effects of the penalty imposed persist.
Article 28
(Formal requirements)
1. The lists are of the same format, color and type of paper for all applications and must contain the distribution of candidates by position.
2. The lists must at least include candidates for the following positions:
a) A president and two secretaries for the General Assembly;
b) A president, a vice-president, a secretary, a treasurer and a member of the Executive Board;
c) A president, a rapporteur and a secretary for the Fiscal Council.
Article 29
(Lack of applications)
If, after the deadline set out in article 31, point 2., a list or lists of candidates have not been presented to the President of the General Assembly, the Board must draw up a list, to be presented within five working days following the end of that period.
Article 30
(Mode)
1. The Board, the Fiscal Council and the General Assembly will be elected for a period of two years.
2. The election is made by the Assembly on a day that may or may not coincide with the annual ordinary session, constituting the Assembly, for election, as an electoral body.
3. An Electoral Commission will emerge from the constituted electoral body, formed by the Board and a delegate from each of the candidates.
Article 31
(Process)
1. The lists will be joint for the General Assembly, Executive Board and Fiscal Council.
2. The lists of candidates will be signed by a minimum of 20 permanent associates and presented to the President of the Executive Board at least 40 days in advance, in relation to the date of the election, by the associates candidate for the presidency of the Executive Board.
3. The lists will contain the designation of the positions to be voted on, at the front of which the name of the candidate will appear.
4. The General Assembly after verifying the legality of all applications, will deliver the lists to the Executive Board, to be printed. If any irregularity occurs, the first proponent of the list or the representative it has designated must be notified, in order to carry out regularization within 3 days of notification.
5. After printing, the lists will be returned, accompanied by voting forms and a copy containing, in alphabetical order, the names of members who are in legitimate conditions to exercise their right to vote.
6. The current Executive Board is obliged to provide access to all information considered necessary by legal applications, under conditions of perfect equality.
7. During the period between the presentation of the candidacies and up to two days before the election, the electoral programs or other documents justifying the candidacies will be posted at the headquarters, in an appropriate place.
8. Omissions or other anomalies contained in the list with the names of associates referred to in point 5 that have been resolved by the Executive Board, after having been communicated to it in writing up to 8 days before the election, may be communicated in writing, with due justification to the General Asembly, who will take note of them before voting begins.
9. If the President of the General Asembly considers that there is a basis for the communication referred to in the previous paragraph, he or she will submit the matter for consideration by the Assembly, which may order changes to be made to the list of associates, which will serve as the basis for the election.
10. Postal votes will be sent in a sealed envelope, containing:
a) Externally - only the president of the General Asembly and the name and address of the sending member as recipient;
b) Inside - a closed envelope, which, in turn:
(1) It will externally mention the phrase “Voting Form”;
(2) It will contain inside:
- A letter or card with the voter's identification and signature;
- Voting form folded in four, in order to hide the printed part;
11. The President of the General Asembly may set up more than one voting station, which will always be presided over by a member of the same, with one member of each candidate present;
12. Voting will be nominal and secret, dealing first with postal votes;
13. Only votes cast using ballot papers printed by the management will be counted as valid;
14. The General Asembly, up to 30 days before the election, must promote the dissemination of the instructions it deems necessary regarding the electoral act;
15. Once the votes have been counted, the results will be recorded in minutes and the result of the election will be declared to the Assembly.
Article 32
(Possession)
1. Up to 15 days after the election, the president of the outgoing General Assembly will inaugurate the General Assembly, Executive Board and Fiscal Council.
2. Elected members are considered to be in office from the date of taking office.
FINAL DISPOSITIONS
Article 33
(Term)
These internal regulations, once approved by the General Assembly, will come into force immediately.
Article 34
(Changes)
1. These Internal Regulations may only be amended, in whole or in part, by deliberation of the General Assembly.
2. The request to amend these Internal Regulations, as well as the Statutes, can be made by the Executive Board or by a minimum number of 50 associates, in a letter addressed to the president of the General Assembly, who will call a General Assembly for this purpose to be held within thirty days.
3. The letter requesting the respective convocation of the General Assembly is accompanied by the draft articles to be amended.
Approved at the General Assembly of July 23, 2024