Statute

Chapter I — General Provisions

§1 — The Association operates under the name: Stowarzyszenie Kultury i Współpracy Polsko – Tureckiej TURKPOL (Association of Polish-Turkish Culture and Cooperation TURKPOL), hereinafter the “Association.” The Association operates under the Act of 7 April 1989 — Law on Associations, the Act of 24 April 2003 on Public Benefit Activity and Volunteerism, and the provisions of this Statute.

§2 — The Association operates throughout the Republic of Poland, with particular focus on the Capital City of Warsaw and the Mazowieckie Voivodeship. To pursue its statutory objectives the Association may conduct activities abroad, in accordance with applicable foreign law. The registered office of the Association is the Capital City of Warsaw.

§3 — The Association may be a member of national and international organizations of similar scope, and may participate in project consortia and partnerships financed from national, EU and international funds, provided that this does not violate Poland's obligations under international agreements.

§4 — The Association is politically and religiously independent. The Association does not support political parties or election candidates, and does not pursue lobbying as its primary purpose.

§5 — Polish is the binding language of the Association. English and Turkish are working languages for international cooperation; official documents may be issued in translation.

Chapter II — Objectives and Means

§6 — The objectives of the Association are: to build and deepen friendly Polish-Turkish relations based on openness, tolerance and cooperation; to raise the knowledge of both societies about Poland and Turkey and Polish-Turkish relations, and to overcome stereotypes; to support, cultivate and promote Polish cultural heritage in Turkey; to support, cultivate and promote Turkish cultural heritage in Poland; to integrate and support the Polish community in Turkey and people associated with it; to integrate and support the Turkish community in Poland and people associated with it; to promote intercultural and interfaith dialogue; to raise knowledge of cultural differences and multiculturalism; to spread tolerance and understanding, and to counter all forms of discrimination, especially on grounds of race, nationality or religion; to encourage closer business relations and engagement between Turkey and Poland; to sustain and disseminate national tradition, cultivate Polish identity and develop national, civic and cultural awareness; to conduct activities for national and ethnic minorities and regional languages; to conduct activities for the integration of foreigners of Turkish nationality and their integration with Polish citizens; to jointly create and implement projects in the above scope in cooperation with other European Union countries and under EU programmes.

§7 — The Association pursues its objectives through: creating a platform for Polish-Turkish communication, action and cooperation; cultural, creative, sporting, scientific, educational and publishing activity; organizing meetings, workshops, conferences, festivals and thematic events; creating and maintaining a Knowledge Base for foreigners living, studying and working in Poland; operating a member portal (extranet), member directory, job board and document library; cooperating with and supporting like-minded organizations in Poland and abroad; cooperating with central and local government, non-governmental organizations, cultural and educational institutions and media; awarding prizes and distinctions to persons and institutions of merit; implementing projects financed from national and foreign funds, including EU funds.

§8 — The Association conducts public-benefit activity within the meaning of the Act of 24 April 2003 on Public Benefit Activity and Volunteerism, in the scope of public tasks defined in Art. 4 of that Act. All income of the Association is allocated exclusively to its statutory public-benefit objectives.

§9 — The Association conducts public-benefit activity in the following forms: unpaid public-benefit activity — all activities under §7, conducted without remuneration from beneficiaries; paid public-benefit activity — including paid events, training, workshops, publications, and services for members, within the scope and on the terms set by law. The Board, by resolution, defines the detailed scope of paid activity and the principles of fee calculation.

§10 — The Association may conduct economic activity only as supplementary to its public-benefit activity, at a scale that serves its statutory objectives. All income from economic activity is allocated to statutory objectives. The Association keeps separate accounting for economic activity and for paid and unpaid public-benefit activity, in accordance with Art. 10 of the Act.

§11 — The Board is authorized to award sub-grants (regranting) to partner organizations and individual beneficiaries within projects financed from external funds, in accordance with the funder's rules and the Sub-Granting Regulation adopted by the Board.

§12 — The Association may host and send volunteers and trainees, including under EU programmes (European Solidarity Corps, Erasmus+) and other national and international programmes. The Board adopts a Volunteer Regulation defining rights, duties, insurance and supervision.

§13 — To pursue its statutory tasks, the Board may by resolution establish local chapters and thematic sections (clubs), including student, professional and regional ones. Local chapters and sections do not have separate legal personality unless the General Meeting decides otherwise by a 2/3 majority resolution. Chapter and section coordinators are appointed and dismissed by the Board. Their operations are governed by the Chapters and Sections Regulation adopted by the Board.

Chapter III — Members

§14 — Members of the Association are divided into ordinary, supporting, and honorary. Legal persons may only be supporting members. The Board may, by resolution, introduce sub-categories of ordinary members (in particular Student and Individual categories) with differentiated membership fees, set out in the Membership-Fee Regulation.

§15 — Polish citizens and foreigners — including foreigners not residing in Poland — may become members of the Association.

§16 — A natural person who submits a declaration of membership to the Board may become an ordinary member. Ordinary members are admitted by the Board within one month of submission of the declaration.

§17 — Ordinary members have the right to: passive and active voting rights in elections to the Association's authorities; take active part in the Association's work; benefit from the achievements and activities of the Association; receive any information concerning the Association's activities; use the benefits set by the Association's authorities; submit proposals on the activities of the Association.

§18 — Ordinary members are obliged to: observe the statute, internal regulations and resolutions of the authorities; actively participate in the Association's activities and the realization of its objectives; attend general meetings; regularly pay membership fees and fulfil other obligations under resolutions of the authorities.

§19 — Ordinary membership ceases as a result of: voluntary written resignation submitted to the Board; exclusion by the Board for the reasons stated in para. 2, as a sanction under the Membership Terms; loss of civil rights by final court judgment; death of the member; dissolution of the Association. Member violations are subject to an investigative procedure conducted by the Board in accordance with the detailed rules set out in the Membership Terms. The Board may impose one of the following sanctions: warning; written reprimand; suspension of the right to stand for office in the Association's bodies for a period of 3 to 10 years; exclusion from the Association. A Board resolution imposing a sanction requires a 2/3 majority. The sanction must be proportionate to the breach, and the resolution must be reasoned in writing. Exclusion for objective reasons (arrears in fees exceeding 12 months, or lack of activity for over 24 months despite a call) requires a prior written notice with a 30-day cure period. The member has the right to be heard. Resolutions of the Board imposing a sanction or excluding a member may be appealed to the General Meeting of Members within one month of delivery. While an appeal is pending, the sanction is not enforceable. The General Meeting's decision is final. Investigative proceedings may not be initiated if more than 24 months have elapsed since the breach.

§20 — A natural or legal person declaring financial, material or substantive support for the Association's objectives, who submits a declaration to the Board, may become a supporting member. Supporting members are admitted by the Board within one month of declaration. Supporting members enjoy the rights of ordinary members except for passive and active voting rights; they have an advisory vote. Supporting members are exempt from membership fees but must fulfil their declared obligations and observe the statute and resolutions. Supporting members may attend Board meetings as observers. Supporting membership ceases analogously to §19 para. 1, with loss of legal personality applicable to legal persons. The appeal procedure of §19 para. 5 applies.

§21 — A natural person who has made an outstanding contribution to the Association may become an honorary member. Honorary membership is granted by resolution of the General Meeting on the motion of the Board or at least 6 members, with the consent of the candidate. Honorary members enjoy the rights of ordinary members except for voting rights; they have an advisory vote. They are exempt from fees. Honorary members must observe the statute and resolutions. Honorary membership ceases analogously to §19 para. 1. The appeal procedure of §19 para. 5 applies.

§22 — Membership, employment, volunteer participation, and beneficiary access to the Association's activities are open without discrimination on grounds of nationality, ethnicity, religion, gender, age, disability, sexual orientation, or political opinion.

§22a — Members are obliged to maintain confidentiality of information obtained in the course of their membership, on the terms set out in the Membership Terms. In respect of works created within the membership, members grant the Association a non-exclusive, royalty-free licence on the terms set out in the Membership Terms.

Chapter IV — Authorities

§23 — The authorities of the Association are: the General Meeting of Members, the Board, and the Audit Committee. The term of authorities is three years, ending with the opening of the Ordinary General Meeting that approves the report for the last year of the term. Elections are by secret ballot, by absolute majority, in the presence of at least half the entitled members, from an unlimited number of candidates. Unless the Statute provides otherwise, resolutions are adopted by simple majority of members present and entitled to vote.

§24 — Meetings of the General Meeting, the Board and the Audit Committee may be held in person, remotely (by video- or teleconference) or hybrid. Members participating remotely count towards the quorum and vote on equal footing with in-person participants, provided identification and real-time communication are ensured. Secret ballots required by the Statute may be conducted via an electronic platform ensuring anonymity and auditability.

§25 — The Board and the Audit Committee may adopt resolutions in writing (circular) or by means of direct distance communication, provided all entitled members are notified of the draft, a voting deadline of not less than 7 days is set, and the required majority votes in favour. The General Meeting may adopt resolutions in circular form on matters other than statute amendment, dissolution of the Association, and election of authorities.

§26 — The supreme authority is the General Meeting of Members. It comprises ordinary members and supporting and honorary members with an advisory vote.

§27 — The General Meeting has the power to: set the main directions of activity and development and approve the multi-year strategy; elect and dismiss all authorities; review and approve reports of authorities, including the substantive and financial OPP report; grant discharge to the Board; set the rules of managing funds and assets; adopt amendments to the Statute; consider appeals from Board resolutions; adopt resolutions on honorary membership; adopt resolutions on membership in other organizations and participation in significant project consortia; adopt resolutions on dissolution and allocation of assets; set value thresholds for commitments requiring General Meeting approval; adopt resolutions on all matters not reserved to other authorities.

§28 — The Ordinary General Meeting is convened by the Board annually, no later than 30 June of the year following the financial year. The Extraordinary General Meeting is convened by the Board on its own initiative, at the request of the Audit Committee, or at the request of at least 1/3 of ordinary members. If the Board fails to convene the General Meeting within 30 days of a request, the Audit Committee may do so. The Board notifies all members of the date, place and agenda at least 21 days in advance; for an extraordinary single-issue meeting the deadline may be shortened to 14 days with electronic notification. If the required quorum (at least half of entitled members) is not present, a meeting is convened in the second call within one month; in the second call, the meeting may adopt resolutions regardless of attendance, except for statute amendments and dissolution.

§29 — The Board consists of 4 to 9 persons: the President, the Vice-President, and other Members, elected by the General Meeting. The Board meets at least once every three months. Board resolutions require the presence of at least half its members, including the President or Vice-President. Resolutions are adopted by simple majority; in case of a tie, the President's vote (or in his/her absence, the Vice-President's) is decisive. A 2/3 majority is required for resolutions imposing disciplinary sanctions (§19 para. 3) and in other cases required by the Statute or the Membership Terms. If the President resigns, dies or is permanently incapacitated, the Vice-President assumes the office until a new President is elected at the next General Meeting, no later than within 60 days. Board members may not be convicted by final judgment of an intentional crime prosecuted by public indictment or a fiscal crime.

§30 — The function of President of the Board may not be held by the same person for more than two consecutive terms. After a one-term break, re-election is possible.

§31 — If the size of the Board falls below the number set in §29 para. 1 during the term, the Board may co-opt up to 1/3 of statutory seats until the next General Meeting confirms the co-option. This applies mutatis mutandis to the Audit Committee.

§32 — The Board has the power to: manage the ongoing work of the Association; implement resolutions of the General Meeting; manage the Association's assets; set membership fee levels, categories and the membership year (Membership-Fee Regulation), the membership year is the calendar year; represent the Association and act on its behalf; admit and exclude members; convene General Meetings; establish local chapters, sections and standing committees; adopt internal regulations referred to in §54; conclude cooperation, partnership and project-consortium agreements.

§33 — Declarations of will, signing of documents and the incurring of obligations on behalf of the Association are made by: the President acting alone for obligations up to PLN 20,000, or two Board Members acting jointly for amounts above. Obligations exceeding PLN 100,000 require a prior Board resolution. Obligations exceeding PLN 300,000, and the acquisition, disposal or encumbrance of real estate, require a prior General Meeting resolution. The persons referred to in para. 1 may appoint one or more proxies.

§34 — The Audit Committee consists of 3 persons: the Chairperson and 2 Members, elected by the General Meeting. The Audit Committee is a collegial supervisory body, separate from and not subordinate to the Board in matters of internal control and supervision. Members of the Audit Committee: (a) may not be Board members or be related to them by marriage, cohabitation, consanguinity, affinity or subordination; (b) may not be convicted by final judgment of an intentional crime prosecuted by public indictment or a fiscal crime; (c) may receive reimbursement of justified costs but no remuneration.

§35 — The Audit Committee has the power to: control the overall operations of the Association at least every six months; evaluate the Board's work, including annual substantive and financial reports; submit reports to the General Meeting with an assessment of the Association and the Board; propose discharge of the Board to the General Meeting; propose dismissal of the Board or individual members; request the convening of an Extraordinary General Meeting; supervise compliance with OPP reporting and funder requirements.

§36 — Replenishment of the Board and Audit Committee is governed by §31.

§37 — Board members may receive remuneration not exceeding 1× the average monthly salary in the enterprise sector announced by the President of GUS for the previous year, on terms set by a separate General Meeting resolution. Audit Committee members do not receive remuneration; they are entitled to reimbursement of justified costs.

Chapter V — Assets and Funds

§38 — Sources of the Association's assets include: membership fees; donations (cash and in-kind); grants and subsidies from public and private sources, national and foreign, including EU funds; sponsoring; public collections and crowdfunding campaigns; income from organization's assets and capital investments; income from paid public-benefit activity; income from the economic activity referred to in §10; 1.5% personal income tax allocations (after OPP status is obtained); inheritances and bequests.

§39 — The Association is a non-profit organization; all its income is allocated exclusively to its statutory public-benefit objectives. The Association does not distribute profit to its members or related persons.

§40 — The Association manages its finances in accordance with applicable law. The following are prohibited: granting loans or securing liabilities with the organization's assets in favour of its members, members of bodies or employees, or persons related to them by marriage, cohabitation, kinship or affinity in direct line, kinship or affinity in collateral line up to the second degree, or by adoption, guardianship or curatorship ("related persons"); transferring assets to members, members of bodies or employees and their related persons on terms other than those applicable to third parties, in particular if such transfer is free of charge or on preferential terms; using assets for the benefit of members, members of bodies or employees and their related persons on terms other than those applicable to third parties, unless such use results directly from the statutory purpose; purchasing goods or services from entities in which members of the organization, members of its bodies or employees and their related persons participate, on terms other than third-party terms or at above-market prices.

§41 — The annual financial statement of the Association is subject to audit by an independent certified auditor if required by law or by the regulations of a funding programme. Independently, the General Meeting may by resolution commission such an audit.

§42 — The Board is authorized to enter into short-term financing arrangements (bank overdraft, bridging loans) for cash-flow management of reimbursement-based projects, within limits set by the General Meeting.

§43 — Decisions on the acquisition, disposal and encumbrance of the Association's assets are made by the Board, subject to the thresholds in §33.

Chapter VI — Public-Benefit Activity

§44 — The Association intends to apply for the status of Public Benefit Organization (OPP). Upon obtaining OPP status: the Association is entitled to receive 1.5% of personal income tax under separate regulations; the Association undertakes to comply with all requirements of the Act on Public Benefit Activity and Volunteerism.

§45 — The Association annually prepares and makes publicly available a substantive report on its activities and a financial report, under the rules of the Act on Public Benefit Activity and Volunteerism. These reports are submitted within the statutory deadline to the National Institute of Freedom — Centre for Civil Society Development (NIW-CRSO) and published on the Association's website.

§46 — The Association maintains separate accounting for unpaid public-benefit activity, paid public-benefit activity and economic activity, in accordance with Art. 10 of the Act on Public Benefit Activity and Volunteerism.

Chapter VII — Data Protection, Ethics and Transparency

§47 — The Association is the controller of personal data processed in its activities. Processing complies with Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (GDPR) and the Polish Act on Personal Data Protection. The Association maintains a Privacy Policy (Personal Data Protection Policy) adopted by the Board, defining legal bases, purposes, retention periods, rights of data subjects, and technical and organizational measures. The Board updates the Policy as necessary. Members and beneficiaries are informed of their rights and provide required consents, in particular for disclosing data in the member directory.

§48 — The Association maintains a Conflict-of-Interest Register. Members of bodies and persons engaged in funded projects annually declare conflicts of interest and are obliged to recuse themselves from votes involving related persons.

§49 — The ethical principles for members form an integral part of the Membership Terms adopted by the Board; the Board may develop them into a separate Code of Ethics. The Board also adopts an Anti-Corruption Policy and a Whistleblower Reporting Procedure ensuring confidentiality of reports and protection against retaliation.

§50 — The Association publishes on its website an annual public report containing information on its activities, use of funds, composition of bodies and main decisions of the previous year.

Chapter VIII — Final Provisions

§51 — A resolution to amend the Statute or dissolve the Association is adopted by the General Meeting by a 2/3 majority, with the presence of at least half the members entitled to vote. When adopting a resolution to dissolve the Association, the General Meeting appoints liquidators and determines the manner of liquidation.

§52 — Upon dissolution, after satisfaction of liabilities, the remaining assets shall be transferred in full to another association or foundation holding Public Benefit Organization status, with statutory purposes closest to those of the Association. The specific recipient is designated in the General Meeting's dissolution resolution.

§53 — In extraordinary situations (epidemic threat, natural disaster, state of war or other events preventing normal functioning), the Board may take time-limited decisions beyond the ordinary scope of management, subject to ratification at the next General Meeting.

§54 — Detailed rules of the Association's operation that do not require statutory regulation are set out in internal regulations adopted by the Board. The following are currently in force: Membership Terms (covering ethics, confidentiality, investigative procedure and intellectual property) — adopted; Privacy Policy (Personal Data Protection Policy) — adopted; Cookies Policy — adopted. The Board shall further adopt, in due course: Membership-Fee Regulation (categories/packages and the membership year — calendar year, common renewal on 1 January; pro-rata rules for members joining during the year); Board Working Rules; Audit Committee Working Rules; Chapters and Sections Regulation; Volunteer Regulation; Sub-Granting Regulation; Procurement Regulation; Anti-Corruption Policy; Whistleblower Reporting Procedure; optionally, a separate Code of Ethics if the Board chooses to extract it from the Membership Terms.