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EUROPEAN INSTITUTE FOR DISPERSED ETHNIC MINORITIES

(PROMOTING TOLERANCE IN EUROPE)

Stages of Creation

After being appointed by the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly rapporteur on Yiddish culture in 1994, Mr. Emmanuel Zingeris, member of the Lithuanian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly, has prepared a report that was approved by the Parliamentary Assembly on 20 March 1996 (see further). Later the project passed all stages of discussion in the structures of the Committee of Ministers and the positive answer of this Committee to the recommendation of the Parliamentary Assembly was done in 1998 (see further).
The report "Yiddish Culture" states that as a consequence of the genocide of European Jews perpetrated by the Nazis during the Second World War and the subsequent cultural ethnocide committed to Jews in communist countries, nearly all the centres of compact Jewish living were destroyed, their traditional cultural centres ceased to exist and speakers of Yiddish became an ethnic group dispersed among other cultures and threatened with extinction. Due to various reasons such dispersed vanishing groups are rather numerous. On the other hand, they are more or less related to cultures which have contributed to common European culture (frequently they are represented by autochthones who have given various historical names to their countries, e.g. Livs to historical Livonia in nowadays Latvia and Estonia), i.e. they belong to the heritage of European culture. Therefore, such small vanishing cultures must be protected preventing them from final disappearance. One of the most important conclusions noted in the Report is to establish European Laboratory (Institute) for Dispersed Ethnic Minorities (EIDEM) to protect such groups and to revive them culturally. An institute, which would be aimed not only at the protection of dispersed ethnic groups, but also at the revival of their culture has not existed up to now. However, establishment of this sort institution also acquires political significance which considerably surpasses the single cultural task.
Events in Bosnia and in Kosovo are the most obvious evidence of the gravity of the danger posed to Europe due to political neglect of ethnic identity. Thus, European politicians are attaching more and more weight to ethnic issues, beginning with recognition of the rights of national minorities (cf. 'Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities' and 'European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages' of the Council of Europe') and finishing recently in the Final Declaration of the Council of Europe Heads of State and Governments of 10-11 October, 1997. In order to achieve stability in the new architecture of Europe, the predomination of larger ethnic groups and nations above the smaller must be eliminated so that each ethnic unit can feel comfortable and be confident about its future. Therefore, the establishment of the EIDEM is in line with the most recent decisions of European politicians. Moreover, the institute could serve as one of the most important instruments to ensure tolerance and confidence among peoples. As for Lithuania, it confirms its position in European activities and improves its image among other European states by supporting this project.
To prepare the Report, a fact-finding mission was carried out in countries members of the European Union, and a Conference of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly on Yiddish culture was convened in Vilnius on 8th-9th May, 1995. The Conference was opened by the President of Lithuania, and on the same day a meeting of the CE Parliamentary Assembly Committee on Culture and Education took place there.
The Committee on Culture and Education of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly approved the Report by Mr. Zingeris at its meeting in Zurich in December 1995 for the first time.
Due to the obvious relevance of the conclusion presented in the Report, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe supported the Report on 20 March 1996 and adopted its Recommendation No. 1291 to the Committee of Ministers, point 9-vii referring to the idea of establishing the EIDEM.
In a letter of 14 January 1997 Lithuanian Prime Minister suggested to the Secretary General of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe that Lithuania, for its part, could contribute to the establishment of the EIDEM by providing necessary equipment and premises for the institute.
In its session No.596, held on 19-20 June 1997, the Committee of Ministers, relying on the opinion of CDCC, expressed a request for additional opinions by CDMG, CDDH and ECRI, and recommended them to take into consideration the fact that the EIDEM must be focusing on dispersed groups, that effort must be taken to avoid the overlapping of functions with already operating centres, that the Council of Europe should become involved in the EIDEM activities through the Programme on Confidence-Building measures and drawing on the models that are being practised already and in co-operation with the private sector. It also pointed out, that a conference that was due in the fall of 1997 in Vilnius is to be the forum for a detailed discussion of the EIDEM issue.
On 24 June 1997, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe adopted Resolution (Recommendation) No. 1333 on the Report by L.M. de Puig 'On Culture and Language of Aromans', Item 8 of which suggests to assign the problems related to culture and language of Aromans to the competence of the EIDEM recommended earlier (1291/1996). For the first time the EIDEM project was backed by a reporter from a country that does not have a vested interest in it, i.e. from 'the bottom', and by the Parliamentary Assembly, i.e. 'from above'.
The European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) discussed the EIDEM project in September 1997 and adopted a positive resolution in relation to it.
On 6 October 1997, the issue of EIDEM was deliberated by the European Committee on Migration (CDMG). It supported the establishment of the EIDEM on a condition that its activities shall cover the problems of European Roma community.
The third institution, CDDH, recommended by the Committee of Ministers on 19-20 June, refused to discuss the issue of the EIDEM this year and till June of the next year before structural changes are introduced in it. As more than one and a half years passed already after the legislative resolution 1291 by the Parliamentary Assembly, it would not be reasonable to prolong discussion of the project until June 1998. Therefore, the role of such institution was left to be assumed by the conference 'The Lost Europe' to be held in Vilnius on 2nd December under the auspices of the Council of Europe. This conference meets the qualifications of a conference recommended by the Parliamentary Assembly in its Resolution No. 1291 9 iv on further academic research of the Yiddish culture. Taking into consideration the Recommendation by the Committee of Ministers of 19-20 June 1997, that activities of the EIDEM should not be limited to Yiddish-related issues and cover as many of dispersed European minorities as possible, and an identical condition raised by the CDMG and referred to on 6 October 1997 on inclusion of problems of Roma community, it was decided to broaden the range of questions to be discussed in the conference of 2 December and include the problems of dispersed ethnic cultures of Europe.
Finally, the said conference has taken place in Vilnius under the auspices of the Council of Europe on December 2nd-3rd, 1997, for the seventh indication. The Conference took place with the active participation of leading members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and Mr. Klaus Schumann, the representative of its Secretary General Daniel Tarschys, and was inaugurated by Vytautas Landsbergis, Speaker of the Parliament of Lithuania, during a plenary sitting of the Parliament. During this sitting the implementation of the Final Declaration of the 2nd Summit of the Council of Europe on October 10th-11th 1997 in Strasbourg into the legislation of Lithuania was touched upon by Vytautas Lansdergis, as well as by András Barsony, Chairman of the Political Affairs Committee of the Council of Europe PA, Guido de Marco, Chairman of the Monitoring Committee of the Council of Europe PA, and Emmanuel Zingeris, Chairman of the Committee on Human and Civil Rights of the Parliament of Lithuania and member of the Committee on Culture and Education of the Council of Europe PA. The following working sessions of the Conference were devoted to the subject of European dispersed ethnic minorities, most of them being threatened with oblivion and will most probably be lost for future generations if there were no immediate action.
A discussion of these subjects with Algirdas Brazauskas, President of the Republic of Lithuania, who had opened the first Conference of the Council of Europe in Vilnius in May 1995, took place.
After that, and after having discussed papers presented to the Conference by scholars, researchers and representatives of Yiddish (leading figures from Oxford and Paris participating), Gypsies', Livian, Kashubian, Izhorian and other academic and public centres, all participants of the conference called unanimously on the Council of Europe, in their individual conclusions and in a common Resolution, to set up in the framework of the Council of Europe a European Institute for Dispersed Ethnic Minorities (Cultural interference in the open pluralistic society) immediately, since many of these minorities are on the edge of extinction.
The positive outcome of this Conference was then discussed in the Political Affairs Committee of the Council of Europe PA on 4 December, 1997.
On 8 April 1998 Mr. Federico Mayor, General Director of the U.N.E.S.C.O., granted EIDEM the patronage of the U.N.E.S.C.O. On 2 June 1998 (Doc. 8126) the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assemby adopted a Recommendation 1171 (1998) on the report "Endangered Uralic Minority Cultures" by Tytti Isohookana-Asunmaa, Rapporteur of the Committee on Culture and Education, reminding its earlier Recommendation 1291 (1996) on E.Zingeris' report "Yiddish Culture" as well as its Recommendation 1333 (1997) on L.M. de Puig's report "On Aromanian Language and Culture" that a research centre for dispersed minority cultures was to be established in co-operation with the Council of Europe.
On 22 June 1998 the Prime Minister of Lithuania in his letter to Secretary General of the Council of Europe repeated once again that Lithuania was going to support the establishment of EIDEM andadded that future activities of it would be backed up in all possible ways. The letters of support were also sent by the Prime Minister of Lithuania to the Chancellor of Austria and to the Prime Minister of Greece on same days emphasizing possible role of EIDEM in a new construction of Europe. Analogical correspondence between Lithuanian Government and governments of other countries members of the Council of Europe had teken place also earlier.
Remaining positive indications having been received from sub-committees of the Committee of Ministers during 1998, there were no obsatcles for the positive response of the Committee of Ministers to the Resolution 1291 (1996) of the Parliamentary Assemby concerning setting up the EIDEM. In order to be granted auspices of the Council of Europe, the EIDEM has been oficially registered at the Ministry of Education of Lithuania on 27 07 1998, the registration number being M Nr. 000138. According to the Statute, Mr. Emanuelis Zingeris, MP, Mr. Bronislavas Juozas Kuzmickas, MP, Dr. Letas Palmaitis are regarded to be founders of the Institute. According to the Article 9 of the Statute, an international Board of Trustees of the EIDEM has been established.
At the 650th A level meeting of the Ministers' Deputies on 24-25 November 1998 [CM/Del/Dec (98)] the ministers deputies of the countries members of the Council of Europe adopted a positive answer of the Committee of Ministers to Recommendation 1291 (1996) to set up European Institute for Dispersed Ethnic Minorities and decided to grant it auspices of the Council of Europe (ibid., Decisions, point 4).

Registration:

Office of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Lithuania
Date......27 July 1998
Registration No15u6.
Code.........80.40.00.
1196217

PUBLIC INSTITUTION

EUROPEAN INSTITUTE FOR DISPERSED ETHNIC MINORITIES

STATUTE

Section 1. General
1.1. Public Institution European Institute for Dispersed Ethnic Minorities (abbreviation EIDEM; hereinafter "the Institute") shall be a non-profit organisation founded in the territory of a member country of the Council of Europe - the Republic of Lithuania - in accordance with the Law of the Republic of Lithuania on Public Institutions, engaged in educational, social, scientific, cultural activities, publicly providing services of the said field for dispersed ethnic minorities and seeking support of international organisations (the Council of Europe, European Commission, U.N.E.S.C.O. etc.).
1.2. The Institute established in the territory of the Republic of Lithuania shall be registered in accordance with the Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania, with the Laws of the Republic of Lithuania on Public Institutions, on Education and other, with the Resolutions of the Government, the present Statute and other legal acts.
1.3. The Institute shall be a legal person having economic, financial, administrative and legal independence, the freedom of action, initiative and decision-making granted by laws. For its obligations, it shall be liable only with its property. It shall hold its seal and emblem.
1.4. Office of the Institute shall be located at 4 Pylimo street, Vilnius, Lithuania.
1.5. The founders of the Institute are Mr. Bronislavas Kuzmickas, Mr. Letas Palmaitis, and Mr. Emanuelis Zingeris.
1.6. The financial year of the Institute shall coincide with the calendar year.
Section 2. Aims, Object and Sphere of Activities of the Institute
2.1. The aims of the Institute shall be as follows:
2.1.1. by spreading mutual confidence among the nations of Europe and thus strengthening the atmosphere of comfort and security for all ethnic groups in Europe, disseminate the enlightening knowledge about smaller and disappearing cultures, propagate and promote their education in native languages;
2.1.2. through education, popularisation and support of appropriate projects, help preventing the dispersed ethnic groups and their cultures from disappearance under the conditions of integrating Europe, and propagate these ideas;
2.1.3. preserve for future generations the memory of disappeared European cultures and their contribution to European culture.
2.2. The object of activities of the Institute shall first of all be the dispersed ethnic minorities. Next to this, the Institute may deal with other ethnic groups which are facing the equivalent danger of disappearance or loss of their cultural identity.
2.2.1. Dispersed ethnic minorities are remnants of historic larger ethnic entities (nations or concentrated ethnic groups) which have become dispersed (scattered) due to wars, geopolitical changes or ethnic intolerance. Dispersed ethnic minorities represent the final stage of vanishing minority cultures because they are no more concentrated in their own settlements but live in mixed national settlements or in settlement with the prevailing majority of other national groups. Nevertheless, these minorities still possess their own self-consciousness, and/or practice elements of their traditional life-style and culture. The rights of such minorities constitute a part of human rights as it follows from the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities, as adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations in 1992. In the Final Declaration of the Second Summit of the Council of Europe, the importance of "the protection of our European cultural ... heritage" is emphasised, to which dispersed ethnic minorities of today have also contributed. This concerns the authenticity of uniting Europe in which each cultural component or its memory must find its adequate place and be preserved for coming generations. This concerns political stability in Europe where each cultural component must feel comfortable and assured of its future;
2.2.2. The Institute shall contact and support only those dispersed ethnic minorities who do not refuse being regarded dispersed ethnic minorities. These representatives of disappearing cultures or descendants of declined cultures fully correspond to all above-mentioned criteria: Yiddish-speaking European Jews, Roma Gipsies, Karaims, Uralic Finnougrians of the basin of Volga, Baltic Finnougrians Lyves, Setos, Ingrians (Izhora), Votes, Baltic Indoeuropeans Curonians, descendants of Old Prussians, Lietuvininkai, Baltic Germans, Tatars of Lithuania and Belorus. As for other European dispersed ethnic minorities, the Institute will collaborate with them in constant contact with the Council of Europe Committee of Experts on Issues relating to the Protextion of National Minorities (DH-MIN).
2.3. The Institute shall implement its aims in accordance with the following groups of activities, set forth in the Resolution of the Government No. 696 "On Classification of Economic Activities" of 17 05 1995, corresponding to the standard of the European Union, under the following codes: 80.4 - Education: Adult or Other Education; 73.20 - Research or Applied Works of Public and Humanitarian Sciences; 65.1 - Monetary Mediating; 22 - Publication, Printing and Copying of Recorded Data Files; 85.32 - Social Activities Not Related to the Registered Office; 91.33 - Activities of Organisations Not Included under other Categories; 92.52 - Activities of Museums and Protection of Historic Places and Buildings, i.e.:
2.3.1. organise conferences and seminars (code 91.33), issue their papers (code 22);
2.3.2. search for funds to implement the projects of education and culture in the countries supporting their dispersed ethnic minorities (code 65.1);
2.3.3. have competence to organise recording of samples of speech and folklore of dispersed ethnic minorities (code 73.20), publication of dictionaries and textbooks (code 22) and training of teachers of native languages (code 80.4);
2.3.4. search for funds to implement the projects approved by the Institute (code 65.1);
2.3.5. may use mass media and Internet to distribute knowledge about dispersed ethnic minorities and their needs (code 22);
2.3.6. exercise the right to establish contacts between communities of dispersed ethnic minorities and related academic institutions in order to promote and implement their projects for survival of the dispersed minorities (codes 85.32 and 22);
2.3.7. where possible, organise ecological summer camps for representatives of dispersed ethnic minorities from various countries (code 91.33);
2.3.8. with the purpose of education and idea promotion, be entitled to establish museums of ethnic minorities, which are threatened with extinction or are already extinct, and take care of protection of historic places and buildings (code 92.52).
Section 3. Rights and Obligations of the Institute
3.1. In order to perform the activities provided for in the Statute, the Institute may:
3.1.1. purchase or otherwise acquire property, necessary for its activities, manage it, use it and dispose thereof in accordance with the procedures established by laws and the Statute as well as conclude other contracts and assume obligations;
3.1.2. provide paid services, perform contractual work and set the costs thereof, unless they are regulated by the Government;
hold bank accounts in accordance with the procedure established by laws;
3.1.3. establish foundations for its activities;
3.1.4. establish various contacts with local and foreign partners, exchange experts;
3.1.5. provide and obtain charity and sponsorship;
3.1.6. lay down its administrative structure, re-organise, and establish branch offices;
3.1.7. establish non-profit organisations and enterprises in accordance with the procedure established by laws;
3.1.8. use funds for the purpose of implementing the aims and tasks established in the Statute;
3.1.9. announce public tenders for the purpose of implementing projects and measures;
3.1.10. join non-profit organisation associations, including international associations, and take part in their activities.
3.2. The Institute shall:
3.2.1. conduct accounting, furnish state institutions with financial, accounting and statistical information in accordance with the procedure established by laws, and foreign institutions providing support - in accordance with their requirements;
3.2.2. pay taxes in accordance with the procedure established by laws;
3.2.3. have other civil rights and obligations, unless they contradict the laws.
Section 4. Partners of the Institute, their Rights and Obligations
4.1. The Partners of the Institute shall comprise its founders: Mr. Bronislavas Kuzmickas, Mr. Letas Palmaitis, and Mr. Emanuelis Zingeris. Next to this, the Partners of the Institute may include any natural or legal person who, upon agreement of other Partners and in accordance with the procedure established by the Statute, acquires a part of the property of the Institute.
4.2. Natural or legal persons shall become Partners of the Institute after submitting a written request and receiving a consent of the General Meeting of Partners and making the required monetary or in-kind contribution to the property of the Institute. The Partners shall acquire all property and non-property rights and obligations after registration of their contributions in the prescribed manner. The procedure and terms for admission of new Partners shall be established by the General Meeting of Partners.
4.3. Non-property rights and obligations of the Partners of the Institute shall be as follows:
4.3.1. take part in the General Meeting of Partners with a right of vote;
4.3.2. obtain information on the activities of the Institute;
4.3.3. appeal in court the decisions of the General Meeting of Partners, decisions of the Administration, if they are not in compliance with the laws, other legal acts, or the Statue;
4.3.4. authorise another person to vote on his/her behalf in the General Meeting of Partners and to perform other legal actions. The Auditor of the Institute shall not be the proxy;
4.3.5. promote activities of the Institute, support and take care of them.
4.4. Property rights and obligations of the Partners of the Institute shall be as follows:
4.4.1. obtain according to the procedure established by Section 9 of this Statute, a part of the property of the Institute under liquidation;
4.4.2. bequeath as inheritance, sell or otherwise transfer, a part of his/her own property to other individuals upon agreement of the General Meeting of Partners and in accordance with the procedure established by laws;
4.4.3. the rights of the institution which transferred its property on a use basis, shall be established by the contract between the institution and the Institute;
4.4.4. Partners of the Institute shall have no right to claim their part of property to be returned by the Institute, unless under liquidation;
4.4.5. Partners of the Institute may have other property and non-property rights which do not contradict the laws, other legal acts and the Statute.
Section 5. Management of the Institute
The Institute shall have the following governing bodies:
General Meeting of Partners, and
Administration.
General Meeting of Partners
5.1.1. General Meeting of Partners (hereinafter "the Meeting") shall be the supreme governing body of the Institute. At a Meeting, the Partners of the Institute and state or municipal institution, which has transferred to the Institute property on a use basis, shall have the right of vote, if this has been stipulated in the contract of use. Each Partner, irrespective of his/her part in the property of the Institute, shall have one vote. The Meeting may be attended by members of the Administration in a consultative capacity.
5.1.2. The Meeting shall have the following powers:
5.1.2.1. amend and supplement the Statute of the Institute;
5.1.2.2. define the main guidelines and methods for the activities of the Institute, and the order of their funding;
5.1.2.3. determine fees and charges for services, work and production as well as rules for their calculation, if they are not fixed by the Government;
5.1.2.4. appoint and dismiss from office on time prescribed the Director of Administration of the Institute, fix his/her salary, define terms and amounts of payment for audit services;
5.1.2.5. approve implementation of the projects when the Director finds necessary funds;
5.1.2.6. approve annual financial accounts, adopt decisions on distribution of income;
5.1.2.7. establish branch offices of the Institute, reorganise and liquidate the Institute;
5.1.2.8. decide on long-term property sale, lease, transfer or mortgage, vouching, guaranteeing through it fulfilment of other entities' obligations;
5.1.2.9. decide on other questions in accordance with laws and other legal acts.
5.1.3. Meeting shall be convoked by the Administration annually, within 3 months after the end of the financial year.
5.1.4. Extraordinary Meeting shall be convoked at request of the Partners or the Director of the Institute. The request to convoke an extraordinary Meeting must be handed in to the Director of the Institute in written form. The Meeting shall take place not later than a month after handing in the request.
5.1.5. Meeting may be convoked per court decision, if it had not been convoked in accordance with the procedure established by para 5.1.3., 5.1.4. of this Section, and for this reason, a Partner, the Director, the Auditor or other interested person, has made an appeal in court.
5.1.6. Meeting shall be entitled to adopt decisions, more than half of the Partners being present. The decisions shall be adopted if not less than 2/3 of participating Partners vote for, except decisions on reorganisation or liquidation of the Institute. In latter cases decisions of the Meeting shall be adopted by a consensus of all Partners of the Institute (votes of absent Partners must be notarised).
5.1.7. Minutes of the Meeting shall be recorded. Records and decisions of the Meeting shall be signed by its chairman and secretary.
Administration
5.2.1. Administration shall be established for management of the Institute. Head of the Administration is the Director of the Institute. The Director shall be appointed by the Meeting for the term of seven years.
5.2.2. During initial constitutive period the functions of the Director may be carried out by the Meeting or by a temporary director appointed by the Meeting.
5.2.3. The Director shall have the following powers:
5.2.3.1. lead the Institute, be responsible for realisation of aims and tasks of the Institute, manage its operative, commercial and economical activities by searching and applying financial resources for functioning of the Institute;
5.2.3.2. put into practice decisions of the Meeting;
5.2.3.3. dispose of short-term property of the Institute according to the procedure established by laws;
5.2.3.4. represent the Institute in court, in governmental and administrative structures and in relations with other persons;
5.2.3.5. define the structure and posts of the Institute; engage and dismiss employees, hire consultants and advisers in accordance with the procedure established by laws;
5.2.3.6. encourage or inflict penalty on the employees of the Institute, within his/her competence issue orders regulating work of the Administration and divisions of the Institute;
5.2.3.7. sign documents in the name of the Institute and delegate to others functions of his/her competence;
5.2.3.8. perform other functions necessary for the activities of the Institute.
5.2.4. Institute shall have an accountant appointed by the Director of the Institute. This post may not be held by the same person as the Director, or persons who are related by kinship or marriage.
Section 6. Funds of the Institute, Order of their Use and Disposal of Property.
6.1. Sources of the Institute's funds may be:
6.1.1. contributions from the Partners;
6.1.2. fees received for services and contractual work;
6.1.3. special purpose allocations from any state or municipal budgets;
6.1.4. allocations from Lithuanian and foreign foundations;
6.1.5. funds received as charity, sponsorship, donation and inheritance as well as loans;
6.1.6. internal financial stock of the Institute and other legally acquired funds.
6.2. State or municipal property transferred to the Institute on a use basis shall be used and administered in accordance with the procedure established by laws and the Statute.
6.3. Contributions of the Partners make up the property of the Partners initially amounted to 500,- Lt.
6.4. Property of the Partners of the Institute may be increased only through additional contributions and through reappraisal of the property of the Institute. Property of the Partners shall be increased (decreased) due to reappraisal in proportion with their shares in the property of the Institute, while the increase (decrease) of the part of the Institute's property belonging to the Partners shall be divided in proportion to their shares.
6.5. Estimate of expenditure shall be drawn up in order to use funds received from the state and municipal budgets or funds. An estimate of expenditure for funds obtained from other sources shall be drawn up if requested by donors.
6.6. Institute shall use the funds received as charity or sponsorship, as well as through inheritance, as directed by a donor (sponsor) or a testator for the activities provided by the Statute. Such funds shall be kept in a separate account.
6.7. Institute shall keep the funds received from the state and municipal budgets in a separate account.
6.8. Partners of the Institute shall have no right to receive any payment from the Institute for their membership or for sharing property of the Institute. Nobody shall receive payment from the funds of the Institute if this is not necessary for the purpose of implementing the aims and tasks established in the Statute, i.e. if this is not their Institute duties, contractual work etc.
Section 7. Control of the Financial Activities of the Institute.
7.1. Auditor of the Institute shall perform periodically an internal control of the financial activities of the Institute. Competence of the Auditor as well as order of his/her appointment shall be defined by the Meeting. The Auditor shall check up protection and calculation of material values as well as financial activities of the Institute. The Auditor shall be responsible to the Meeting.
7.2. In accordance with the procedure established by laws the Administration shall furnish all requested documents to the state control institutions and the Auditor as well as to foreign institutions supplying their support in accordance with their regulations.
Section 8. Branch Offices of the Institute.
8.1. Branch office is a division of the Institute having an individual residence and administration. Branch offices may be set up by the decision of the Meeting. A branch office may become legal person in accordance with a corresponding agreement between the Institute and a branch office. If a branch office is not a legal person, it shall act in the name of the Institute as a legal person in accordance with powers granted by the Institute ant its Director, which must be specified in the regulations of the branch office.
8.2. If a branch office is set up in Lithuania, its property shall be recorded in the financial accounts of the Institute as well as in individual financial accounts of the branch office. A branch office may have its own subaccount.
8.3. Financial relations between the Institute and a branch office abroad shall be regulated by an agreement between the Institute and a branch office, concluded when setting up a branch office and must conform to the laws of Lithuania and a host country of a branch office.
8.4. Branch office shall be registered and removed from the Register in accordance with the procedure established by laws of the host country.
Section 9. Board of Trustees of the Institute.
9.1. An international Board of Trustees of the Institute shall be established in order to evaluate activities of the Institute in respect of international European conventions, propagate activities of the Institute and make its recommendations public in international organisations and in mass media.
9.2. The Board of Trustees shall define its own structure.
9.3. The Board of Trustees shall have at least one annual session, which may be organised in a form of a meeting or communicating by mail, fax, Internet etc.
Section 10. Order of Reorganisation and Liquidation of the Institute.
10.1. The Institute shall be reorganised or liquidated in accordance with articles 15 and 16 of the Law on Public Institutions of the Republic of Lithuania. Creditors and Partners of the Institute shall be informed in written form about intention to reorganise or liquidate the Institute not later than 20 days before beginning of the Meeting. Decision on reorganisation or liquidation of the Institute shall be adopted unanimously.
10.2. Institution, which decides to liquidate the Institute, shall appoint a Liquidator, determining the time limits of liquidation, stock-taking and property take-over procedures. The Meeting and the Administration shall be divested of their powers, as of the day of Liquidator's appointment and their functions shall be performed by the Liquidator.
10.3. Liquidator shall have the rights and obligations of the Director. He/she shall represent the Institute being liquidated in governmental and administrative institutions, court and in instances involving relations with other legal and natural persons.
10.4. Liquidator of the Institute shall:
10.4.1. draw up financial accounts (liquidation balance sheet) as of the beginning of the liquidation period;
10.4.2. settle the accounts with the state, municipalities and social insurance agency;
10.4.3. complete the discharge of liabilities resulting from damages caused and those under contracts concluded previously by the Institute enter into new contracts within his/her competence;
10.4.4. transfer the remaining assets of the Institute to the Partners and to a non-profit organisation (organisations) defined by the institution, which had decided to liquidate the Institute;
10.4.5. draw up a liquidation act of the Institute;
10.4.6. remove the liquidated Institute from the Register in accordance with the procedure established by laws.
10.5. Liquidator shall be liable to the Institute and third parties for the losses incurred through his/her fault.
10.6. Following payment of taxes to the state budget and reckoning with the employees and creditors of the Institute in liquidation, the Partners may have only their own share of the property refunded to them from the balance of property and funds of the Institute. The property or funds remaining not parcelled shall be given over to another or other non-profit organisations, registered in the Republic of Lithuania and indicated by the institution which has decided to liquidate the Institute.
10.7. When liquidating the Institute, its employees shall be dismissed and compensated in accordance with the procedure established by the Law on the Employment Contract.
10.8. Documents of the liquidated Institute shall be kept in accordance with the procedure established by the Law on Archives.
10.9. When liquidating the Institute, branch offices in Lithuania, which are not legal persons shall be liquidated also.
10.10. If a branch office of the Institute in Lithuania or abroad is a legal person and wishes to proceed with its own work, it must be re-registered as a new independent institution in accordance with the procedure established by corresponding laws.
Section 11. Duration of Activities of the Institute.
Activities of the Institute shall have indefinite duration.

The Founders of the Institute: Bronislavas Kuzmickas (signature)
Emanuelis Zingeris (signature)
Letas Palmaitis (signature)