About Us

Our Aims and Objectives

Objectives

Developed pursuant to paragraph. 2 of Article 64 of the Code of Notaries, which is part of the deed, recorded on 23/05/2001 to fls.
170 Book 11-D of the Notary Office of Aljezur.

General Statutes

Section I

Denomination, Headquarters and Objects
Article 1 (Duration, Denomination and Headquarters)

The Association is constituted for an undetermined time, adopts the title AEZA – Associação Ecologista e Zoófila de Aljezur – (Association for Environment and Animal Protection of Aljezur) – and has its headquarters in Aljezur, creating possible delegations (nucleus) in other parts of the country.

 

Article 2 (Aims and Objects)

AEZA is a non-profit making organisation having no political or religious creed, whose aims and objects are the defence of
the environment and the protection of animals as follows:

  1. Rescuing and treating wounded or sick animals or those in immediate danger.
  2. Rescuing maltreated animals.
  3. Giving on the spot support to maltreated animals.
  4. Giving information of any maltreatment and irresponsible ownership of animals.
  5. Giving assistance in prosecuting for the maltreatment of animals.
  6. Finding new owners for abandoned and rescued animals.
  7. Joint intervention with the authorities in respect of the laws to defend and protect animals.
  8. Promotion of campaigns to inform the population (ie schools) about respect for, and the defence and protection of animals.
  9. Publishing reports and objectives of the Association.
  10. Putting pressure on the authorities responsible, to update and change the laws concerning the well being of animals.
  11. Presenting projects, to the authorities responsible, to obtain more efficient laws and regulations and activities for the defence and protection of animals.
  12. Researching and circulating educative information relating to the well being of animals.

At the same time, and complementarily, the Association could render services to the community, namely:

  1. Temporary shelter for animals.
  2. Veterinary services and campaigns for sterilization to control the animal population.
  3. Selling products.
  4. Cleaning and hygiene services.
  5. Ambulance/taxi service.

Section II

Members
Article 3 (Membership)
  1. Anyone can be a member of the Association, singularly or collectively, for causes in defence of the environment and the well being of animals and is approved as such by the Association.
  2. The members, who subscribe to the notarial constitution of the Association and those who become members until the end of the first General Assembly, will be considered to be founder members.
  3. Application for membership will be granted at the Directors discretion.
  4. All members must subscribe to and abide by the Universal Declaration for Animal Rights.
  5. Are loosing the quality of members the members who, because they don’t accomplish their statuary, damage deeply the reputation or interests of the Association, as well as the associates who miss to accomplish their social duties, namely the payments of subscriptions for a period of six months.
Article 4 (Rights)

The rights of the members are, namely:

  • To participate and vote at the General Assembly;
  • To apply, in terms of the Statutes, convene the General Assemblies;
  • To be elected for all Social Bodies, under the conditions established by the Statutes;
  • To participate in all the initiatives of the Association.
Article 5 (Duties)

The duties of the members are:

  • To contribute to the accomplishment of the statuary objects;
  • To pay the contributions punctually;
  • To carry out any post to which you are elected;
  • To accomplish the Statutes and respect the decisions of the Social Bodies.

Section III

Entrance Fees and Contributions
Article 6 (Entrance Fees and Contributions)
  1. The founder members will be obliged to pay an initial entrance fee to the value of no less than 3000$ for a single member and 10 000$ for a collective member respectively.
  2. Any new member will pay an entrance fee, the amount to be defined at the General Assembly, by a proposal of the Board of Directors.
  3. The members are subjected to the payment of a subscription to be defined at the General Assembly, by a proposal of the Board of Directors.
Article 7 (Financial Resources)

The revenue of the Association shall consist of:

  1. Entrance fees and contributions from the members.
  2. Revenue from services to the community.
  3. Donations and other revenue not forbidden by law.

Section IV

General Assembly
Article 8 (Composition)
  1. The General Assembly is composed of all the members who enjoy all their rights.
  2. The General Assembly is called by the President of the Board of the General Assembly and is obliged to meet twice a year. The first one, before 31st March, in order to approve the report of the activities of the Board of Directors and the accounts of his activities. The second one, before 15th November, in order to present the plan of activities, the appreciation and voting of the budget and the programme of activities and for the election of the Social Bodies who will have the mandate for one year.
  3. The General Assembly meets extraordinarily when convened by the President of the Board of the General Assembly, when asked by the Board of Directors or the Fiscal Council or two thirds of the members enjoying all their rights.
Article 9 (Board)
  1. The Board of the General Assembly consists of three members, the President, the Vice President and the Secretary.
  2. In the absence or impossibility of the President, he will be replaced by the Vice President.
Article 10 (Obligations)

The obligations of the General Assembly are:

  1. Yearly, to elect the members of the Board of the General Assembly, Board of Directors and the Fiscal Council;
  2. Appreciate and vote the yearly report of the Board of Directors about the activities of the Association, present the end of year accounts, the report of the Fiscal Council and the plan of activities of the Association for the next year;
  3. Make decisions on appeals put forward by the members;
  4. Make decisions about changes to the Statutes and the dissolution of the Association;
  5. Fix the amount of the members contributions;
  6. Admit the Honourable Members, under the proposal of the Board of Directors;
  7. To deliberate on all matters of interest to the Association;
Article 11 (Representation)

Through a letter directed to the President of the Board, any member can make himself represented in the General Assembly by another member, who cannot represent more than one member.

Article 12 (Convocation)
  1. The General Assembly is convoked by registered post sent to all the members fifteen days before the meeting. At the same time a notice giving information about the General Assembly shall be put in the headquarters and in other public places.
  2. These notices should contain information about the date, time and venue for the meeting, as well as the agenda.
  3. In the case of an extraordinary General Assembly the notice should contain the information as to who has called the meeting and why.

Section IV

Board of Directors
Article 13 (Composition)
  1. The Board of Directors is constituted by five members, the President who has the casting vote, one Vice President, one Secretary, one Treasurer and one Committee Member.
  2. The Board of Directors does the administration and daily running of the Association, decided by the majority of the Board members.
Article 14 (Obligations)

To the Board of Directors competes, namely:

  1. Execute the deliberations of the General Assembly and the general plans of action approved there;
  2. Organise, administrate and superintend the service of the Association, including the employment of people for any type of activity;
  3. To build the internal organisation of the Association;
  4. Negotiate, accept, accomplish and make accomplish the agreements made between the Association and third parties;
  5. To represent the Association before the court and in other situations;
  6. Make decisions about expelling members and the suspension of their rights;
  7. ractice and promote all the necessary and convenient acts for the prosecution of the Associations objects.
Article 15 (Representation)
  1. The Association is represented before the court and in other situations by the President of the Board of Directors or, in his absence or impossibility, by the Vice President.
  2. To oblige the Association are necessary and sufficient the signatures together of two members of the Board, one being, obligatorly, the President or his substitute.

Section VI

Fiscal Council
Article 16 ( Composition)

The Fiscal Council consists of three members, one President and two Committee Members.

Article 17 (Obligations)

To the Fiscal Council competes, any time judged convenient, to examine the writing of the Association, giving obligatory opinion about
the accounts and report, the balance and account of the Board of Directors, as well as about their program and budget for the next
year and about the updating of the contributions to be paid by the members.

Section VII

Diverse Dispositions
Article 18 (Dissolution and Liquidation)

It is exclusive competence of the General Assembly to convoke in order to manage the dissolution of the Association, the appointing of liquidators and the establishment of the procedure to follow about the liquidation, in the terms of the existing legislation.

Article 19 (Installation Committee)

During the maximum time of two years after the date of the publication of the Statutes and as long as the General Assembly does not proceed to the election of the Associations’ Bodies, the Association will be directed by an Installation Committee composed by all the members who have subscribed to the notarial constitution of the Association.