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New Statute

New Statute of the Italian Academy of Cuisine
approved by the Extraordinary Assembly of Delegates on 21 May 2022


TITLE I: CONSTITUTION AND GOALS
TITLE II: THE ACADEMY’S PARTICIPANTS
TITLE III: THE GOVERNING BODIES OF THE ACADEMY
TITLE IV: FINANCIAL YEAR AND STATEMENTS
TITLE V: FINAL PROVISIONS

TITLE I: CONSTITUTION AND GOALS

Article 1 – Constitution and Headquarters of the Academy

  1. The Italian Academy of Cuisine, hereinafter also ‘The Academy’ or ‘the Association’, was founded in Milan, Italy, on July 29, 1953 by Orio Vergani, together with Luigi Bertett, Dino Buzzati Traverso, Cesare Chiodi, Giannino Citterio, Ernesto Donà dalle Rose, Michele Guido Franci, Gianni Mazzocchi Bastoni, Arnoldo Mondadori, Attilio Nava, Arturo Orvieto, Severino Pagani, Aldo Passante, Gianluigi Ponti, Giò Ponti, Dino Villani and Edoardo Visconti di Modrone. Massimo Alberini and Vincenzo Buonassisi were also present. The Academy was subsequently officially constituted as an association by public statute on 8 June 1988 under the same name, and was immediately enrolled as a legal entity by the MilanPrefecture on 4 July 2001.
  2. The headquarters of the ItalianAcademy of Cuisine is in Milan, at an address established by the President’s Council. Any decision on the relocation of the headquarters to another city must be adopted by an Extraordinary Session of the General Assembly of Delegates; however, the transfer of the headquarters to another address within the same city may be determined by the President’s Council.

Article 2 – Goals and activities

  1. The Italian Academy of Cuisine is a private cultural association, recognised as a legal entity, which undertakes activities of substantial public interest. It is non-profit and non-partisan, maintaining the democratic principle of allowing admission irrespective of gender, language, religion, political opinion or social and personal circumstances.
  2. The Academy exclusively pursues goals of public utility through the unremunerated activities of its central and territorial governing bodies, and of its members, both in Italy and abroad.
  3. The Academy shall not engage in political, commercial or publicity activities other than those relating to its own publications and initiatives.
  4. Any gifts, contributions or donations, which the President’s Council has the prerogative of accepting, may be used solely to further the Academy’s mission.

Article 3 – General-interest activities

  1. The Academy pursues its goals through the following general-interest activities:
    a) taking action to promote and make the most of our cultural heritage;
    b) organising and overseeing cultural, artistic or recreational activities of social interest, including activities, such as publishing, aimed at promoting and raising awareness about cultural issues and our general-interest projects.
  2. In such fields, the Academy will undertake actions including but not limited to:
    a) studying the difficulties facing Italian cuisine and gastronomy, generating proposals, providing information in response to requests by public officials, entities, associations, and public and private institutions, and facilitating the promotion of initiatives that are conducive to a better understanding of traditional Italian culinary values;
    b) promoting and encouraging all those initiatives which, through historical research and its dissemination, may contribute to an appreciation of Italian cuisine in Italy and abroad, also as an expression of customs, culture, civilisation and knowledge;
    c) promoting and encouraging public awareness of restaurants, in Italy and abroad, which truly respect and observe the traditional qualities and characteristics of national, regional and local Italian cuisine;
    d) recognising and appreciating all those who endeavour to further the Academy’s goals.

Article 4 – Miscellaneous activities

The Academy may undertake activities to support those described in article 3, if these are ancillary and instrumental to the pursuit of the Academy’s institutional aims. The Academy may therefore, inter alia, create associations for publishing or commercial purposes connected solely to its own editorial activities, services to Academicians (assemblies, conferences, meetings, study-related travel etc) and articles related thereto. Revenue derived from such associations must be used exclusively to finance the Academy’s institutional activities and transparently accounted for. The President’s Council is delegated to identify activities to be undertaken within the aforementioned limits with previous authorisation by the Academic Council.

Article 5 – Use of assets and operating income

The Academy’s assets are to be used for its statutory activities whose goals are exclusively civic and related to the public good and social utility. The direct or indirect disbursement of any surplus funds, reserves or capital during the Association’s lifetime, except as required by law, is strictly prohibited.
Any income and surplus funds must be used for institutional activities and initiatives directly connected thereto.

TITLE II: THE ACADEMY’S PARTICIPANTS

Article 6 – Academicians: candidacy, nomination and ineligibility

  1. To be eligible as an Academician, an individual must be committed to the Academy’s goals and activities and show a concrete interest in studying, promoting and safeguarding Italian cuisine, and have no financial stake, in any form and whether personal or company-related, in the restaurant sector, including home food delivery, catering, and public or private culinary schools.
  2. To achieve Academician status, a candidate must be proposed for admission by their local Delegate or Legate, and must then submit an application for admission to the President of the Academy.
  3. The application, submitted in accordance with the regulations set out in the By-laws, should only be considered accepted through the President’s written approval, forwarded to the candidate and the endorsing Delegate or Legate. The foregoing stipulations also apply to Honorary Academicians (see article 7).
  4. Any Academy member in good standing and up to date with membership dues, other than Honorary Academicians (see article 7, part 1, of the present Statute), may be a candidate for the position of President of the Academy or an elected member of the Academic Advisory Council, the Arbitration Board or the Supervisory Body if in possession of the criteria enumerated in art. 21 below. The member shall submit their candidacy to the Secretariat of the Academy at least thirty days prior to the opening day of a General Assembly Ordinary Session. The Academy member may be a candidate for only one of the above positions.
  5. The status of Academician is permanent and can be terminated only by resignation, lapse of membership or expulsion as indicated in article 8 of this Statute.
  6. Membership fees and contributions are neither transferable nor refundable.
  7.  Membership in other food or wine associations, either in Italy or abroad, is permitted as long as those organisations are non-profit and have a democratic structure, their objectives are not in conflict with those of the Academy, and they have no involvement with political, commercial or promotional initiatives relating to food and beverages or with the restaurant sector or culinary schools.

Article 7 – Honorary Academicians and Delegates

  1. The President of the Academy may, with the approval of the President’s Council following that of the competent local Delegate or Legate, or upon the interested party’s request, confer the status of “Honorary Academician” on non-members of the Academy who are well-known personalities or who have achieved significant merit with respect to the Academy or Italian cuisine, or diplomats or State representatives who have demonstrated particular sensibility regarding the development of high-quality Italian cuisine. This title may be revoked from anyone who has not participated in at least one convivial meeting of their Delegation for two consecutive years.
  2. By the same means the President may also confer the status of “Honorary Delegate” on an individual who has served as a particularly outstanding Delegate for at least 9 years and has been an Academician for at least 20 years at the time of leaving the post of Delegate. Each Delegation may have only one Honorary Delegate.
  3. The aforementioned statuses provide exemption from the payment of annual dues and the requirement to attend convivial meetings with the limitation indicated in part 1 above.
  4. An individual may only be an Honorary Academician or Honorary Delegate of the Delegation or Legation that so designated them, and said status lapses when Honoraries leave their Delegation or Legation. Honoraries requesting transfer, as full Academicians, to another Delegation or Legation within 30 days of relocation, will, upon approval according to the By-laws, maintain their Academic seniority already acquired but lose their Honorary status. Without such a request, they lose the status of Academician.
  5. The titles “Honorary Academician” and “Honorary Delegate” are subject to the same criteria laid out in article 6, part 1, of this Statute, as well as the terms of the By-laws regarding exclusion of Academicians.

Article 8 – Resignation, membership expiry, recall and exclusion

  1. The status of Academician may be lost by resignation, lapse of membership or expulsion; these do not convey the right to a refund of membership fees.
  2. Membership expiry through non-payment of dues, non-participation in one’s Delegation’s convivial meetings, ineligibility if at any moment the requirements set out in article 6, part 1, of this Statute should be unfulfilled, or exclusion are declared by the President of the Academy having consulted the competent Delegate or Legate in accordance with the By-laws.
  3. Academicians may be subject to a written recall by the President, being thereby excluded from membership by the President, with prior approval of the President’s Council and the competent Delegate or Legate, if:
    a) they use the name of the Academy or its symbols (logo, letterhead, guides, posters, stickers etc.) and the data contained in the Carnet degli Accademici (Roster of Academicians) for personal, political, commercial, promotional or publicity-related aims outside strict institutional use within their purview;
    b) they do not abide by the norms of the Statute, By-laws, or Code of Ethics or the decisions of the Academic Council, the President’s Council or the Arbitration Board;
    c) they have been convicted through a final judgement issued by a penal court.
  4. For the members of the central bodies, Delegates and Legates, Regional Coordinators, Academicians who are members of the Study Centre, Directors and Academician members of the Regional Study Centres, and Honoraries, the President of the Academy will take action directly, following the consent of the President’s Council.

TITLE III: THE GOVERNING BODIES OF THE ACADEMY

Article 9 – The governing bodies of the Academy and their terms

  1. The central statutory bodies of the Academy are:
    • the General Assembly of Delegates;
    • the Academic Advisory Council;
    • the President’s Council;
    • the President;
    • the Vice-Presidents;
    • the Secretary-General;
    • the Treasurer;
    • the Arbitration Board;
    • the Supervisory Body.
     
  2. The local statutory bodies of the Academy are:
    • the Delegation;
    • the Delegate;
    • the Delegation Advisory Board;
    • the Regional Coordinators in Italy.
     
  3. All positions within governing bodies of the Academy, whether elected or nominated, persist for three years from the date of the Ordinary Assembly of Delegates. Officers may be re-elected and reconfirmed.

Article 10 – Assemblies of Delegates and their constitution and convocation

  1. The General Assembly of Delegates is comprised of all sitting Delegates in good standing and up to date with dues, each of whom has one vote. The General Assembly may meet in a Ordinary or Extraordinary Session. The President of the Academy presides over the General Assembly, and in their absence, their duties are carried out by the Deputy Vice-President, the Second Vice-President or the Secretary General, in that order.
  2. Ordinary Sessions of the General Assembly of Delegates convene every three years for regular business or as required under article 16, part 5 of this Statute.
  3. Extraordinary Sessions of the General Assembly may be called in accordance with article 12, or at any time at the discretion of the President of the Academy, with the approval of the President’s Council, or of the Academic Advisory Council. An Extraordinary Session of the General Assembly with a specific agenda may also be called by 20% of the sitting Delegates who are in good standing and up to date with membership dues.
  4. Notification of the convocation of an Extraordinary Session of the General Assembly, together with the agenda, must be sent to the Delegates at least 30 days prior to the meeting. The notification, to be sent by electronic mail or other means of telecommunication, must include the meeting’s agenda.
  5. Proxies, as set out in Article 25 of the Statute, shall be sent to the Secretariat of the Academy at least fifteen days prior to the Assembly session.
  6. The General Assembly, whether in an Ordinary or Extraordinary Session, may take place in person or long-distance, or by a combination of these, at the discretion of the President’s Council and in conformity with current Italian laws and norms. Remote meetings must follow the simultaneous voting protocol and the principles of good faith and equal treatment of participants, and in particular, it is required that:
    a) the President be permitted to ascertain the identity and eligibility of all participants, to moderate the meeting, and to inspect and declare voting results;
    b) the minute taker, who may also be chosen among non-members of the Academy, be able to observe the meeting’s events in order to produce a record thereof;
    c) participants have permission to vote regarding the items on the agenda;
    d) the convocation announcement specifies the physical location from which the Academy will provide an audio/video link, such that the meeting will be considered as occurring wherever the minute taker is physically present.

Article 11 – Jurisdiction of the Ordinary Assembly of Delegates; validity of its decisions

  1. The Ordinary Session of the General Assembly of Delegates is charged with:
    a) electing the President of the Academy;
    b) electing the elective members of the Advisory Council and the members of the Supervisory Body and the Arbitration Board.
  2. For the first convocation of an Ordinary Session to be valid, at least one half of the members plus one must be present. The second convocation, which may take place one hour after the first, is valid regardless of the number of members in attendance. Decisions in Ordinary Session may be reached by a simple majority of the members present.

Article 12 – Jurisdiction of the Extraordinary Assembly of Delegates; validity of its decisions

  1. The Extraordinary Session of the General Assembly of Delegates is charged with:
    a) deliberating on any amendments to the Statute presented by the President’s Council;
    b) deliberating on the relocation of headquarters in accordance with art. 1 of the Statute;
    c) deliberating on any subjects considered urgently relevant in accordance with art. 10 of the Statute;
    d) deliberating on the possible dissolution of the Academy.
  2. For the first convocation of an Extraordinary Session to be valid, at least one half of the members plus one must be present. For the second convocation, which may take place one hour after the first, at least one-third of the members must be present. Decisions made by the Extraordinary Session of the General Assembly require a two-thirds majority of the members present.

Article 13 – Structure of the Academic Advisory Council

  1. The Academic Advisory Council is comprised of thirty members as follows:
    a) fifteen members elected from the General Assembly of Delegates;
    b) the remaining number necessary for a plenum co-opted by the Advisory Council itself.
  2. The President of the Academy presides over the Advisory Council; in the President’s absence, their duties are carried out by the Deputy Vice-President, the Second Vice-President or the Secretary-General, in that order.

Article 14 – Convocation and majority in the Academic Advisory Council

  1. The Advisory Council meets at least twice a year, convened by the President of the Academy, or when a meeting is called by half of the Council’s members plus one.
  2. The presence of at least half of the members is required for a vote, which is passed by simple majority. Each member has one vote.
  3. Meetings of the Advisory Council may occur in person or remotely, or a combination of the two, as decided by the President’s Council or mandated by current Italian law, in accordance with the modalities indicated in article 10, part 6, of the present Statute.

Article 15 – Jurisdiction of the Academic Advisory Council

The Academic Advisory Council is charged with:
a) establishing the Academy’s programme of future activities and its execution, also in accordance with what is set out in article 4 of the Statute.
b) approving the By-laws and the Code of Ethics in accordance with article 31 of the Statute
c) electing the President’s Council from among its own members;
d) advising the President’s Council on the nomination of an Honorary President and/or Honorary Vice-President in accordance with Article 17, part c of this Statute;
e) establishing membership dues, as proposed by the President’s Council;
f) approving the budget and financial statement presented by the President’s Council and supplemented by the Supervisory Body’s report – the President’s Council has no vote regarding the approval of budgets and financial statements;
g) at its discretion, calling for the convocation of an Extraordinary Session of the General Assembly in accordance with Article 10 of this Statute, provided that at least half of the Council’s members, plus one, request this within the purview that this Statute assigns to an Extraordinary Session of the Assembly of Delegates. This request, with a detailed motivation statement and agenda, must be addressed to the President.

Article 16 – Structure of the President’s Council; resolutions and impediments

  1. The President’s Council is the Academy’s Administrative Body.
  2. The President’s Council is comprised of the President of the Academy and eight members chosen by the Advisory Council from among its ranks. The President presides over the Council.
    The President’s Council elects internally:
    a) two Vice-Presidents, one of whom is Deputy (or First) Vice-President;
    b) the Secretary-General;
    c) the Treasurer;
    d) the Secretary of the President’s Council.
     
  3. Such positions can be reassigned with the approval of the Council itself at any time. The posts of Secretary-General and Treasurer may be concurrent.
  4. The Deputy (First) Vice-President (or in their absence the Second Vice-President, or in their absence the Secretary-General) can stand in for the President in the event of their temporary inability to carry out their ordinary administrative duties.
  5. In the event of the President’s permanent impediment, resignation, or death, the Deputy Vice-President (or in their absence, the Second Vice-President or the Secretary-General, in that order) must convene the General Assembly of Delegates within 90 days to elect a new President of the Academy who will remain in charge for the duration of the term of the incapacitated, resigned or deceased President. All other central and territorial governing bodies shall remain the same.
  6. If the President’s permanent incapacitation, resignation or death occurs during the last 180 days of the President’s term, the Deputy (First) Vice-President, Second Vice-President or Secretary-General, in that order, shall complete the term. All other central and territorial governing bodies shall remain the same.
  7. The President’s Council may meet in person or remotely, or in a combination of the two, at the President’s discretion, or as mandated by current Italian law, following the modalities set out in article10, part 6, of the present Statute.

Article 17 – Jurisdiction of the President’s Council

  1. The President’s Council shall be convoked by the President, with an appropriate agenda, at least four times a year. At least 6 members must be present and motions are passed by simple majority.
    The President’s Council has the following functions:
    a) presiding over current Academic activities and making decisions on all matters that are not the sole purview by statute of the General Assembly or the Advisory Council;
    b) adopting measures regarding the Academy’s personnel and support staff.
    c) With the approval of the Academic Advisory Council, the President can propose the nomination of an Honorary President or Honorary Vice-President. Such posts apply exclusively to Presidents and Vice-Presidents who hold no other Academic posts besides those of co-opted Advisory Council member or Honorary Delegate. These positions provide exemption from membership dues and are subject to what is set out in article 6, part 1, of this Statute and the norms regarding Honorary Academicians.
    d) Approving insignia (lapel pins, ties, scarves etc.) for Academicians and promotional materials for the Academy;
    e) deliberating regarding partnerships, patronages and collaborations with public and private bodies, and the stipulation of agreements and conventions with national and international bodies and associations as long as those bodies and associations pursue goals analogous to those of the Academy and are not set up for profit or for political or promotional purposes;
    f) authorising possible litigation and entering into contracts;
    g) authorising annual and non-recurring expenses;
    h) creating and dissolving local Delegations in Italy and abroad and, at any moment, defining Delegations’ territorial jurisdictions after consulting their Delegates and Regional Coordinators, if any;
    i) nominating and dismissing Delegates responsible for local Delegations and Regional Coordinators as specified in the By-laws;
    j) creating and dissolving local Legations, and defining their territorial jurisdictions at any moment, in accordance with article 24, part 5, of the Statute;
    k) determining the Academy’s editorial programme and nominating the Editor-in-Chief of the Academy’s magazine and Newsletter;
    l) conferring awards and recognition as stipulated in the By-laws;
    m) presenting the proposed budget and financial statement, accompanied by the Supervisory Body’s report, to the Advisory Council;
    n) establishing the reimbursement policy for Academy-related travel by members of the central statutory bodies and the Study Centre;
    o) appointing and dismissing the President and members of the Academy’s Study Centre, named after Franco Marenghi, in accordance with the By-laws.
     
  2. President’s Council shall have the power to:
    a) nominate a candidate for election to the position of President of the Academy;
    b) prepare a list of candidates for election as members of the Academic Advisory Council (elective members), the Supervisory Body and the Arbitration Board.

Article 18 – The President of the Academy

  1. The President is the legal representative of the Academy.
  2. The President decides questions of admission to the Academy and may carry out all actions not expressly reserved to the General Assembly, the Advisory Council and the President’s Council. It is understood that the President has full authority to take any action necessary to carry out the objectives of the Academy.
  3. Subject to the President’s Council’s approval, the President of the Academy may open bank accounts in the Academy’s name under their own signature jointly with that of the Treasurer, and may operate said accounts for the ordinary administration of the Academy.
  4. When urgently required, the President can adopt the necessary procedures for the efficient conduct of the Academy’s activities, but is required to submit them for ratification by the President’s Council during the first meeting after their adoption.
  5. The President oversees the Academy’s offices and the Giuseppe Dell’Osso Library.
  6. The President appoints and dismisses Legates and Regional Study Centre Directors and members.
  7. The President may not hold any other position except those of co-opted Council member in accordance with article 13, part 1(b) of the Statute, Honorary Delegate, Study Centre President, and Director of the Academy’s publications.

Article 19 – The Secretary-General

The Secretary-General:
a) assists and helps the President, including through duties which the President may assign on a case-by-case basis;
b) requests recommendations from the relevant Delegation’s Academicians to replace a Delegate who is not confirmed, resigns, is deceased or is recalled, as set out in the By-laws;
c) ratifies the nomination, recall or replacement of Delegation Advisory Board members;
d) authorises conferences, events and the use of the Academy’s logo in accordance with the By-laws.

Article 20 – The Treasurer

  1. The Treasurer oversees the diligent and regular elaboration of the Academy’s financial accounts, with the assistance of such outside professionals as may be deemed necessary.
  2. The Treasurer prepares the budget and the financial statement, consisting of a statement of activities, a balance sheet and supplementary notes, presented for approval to the President’s Council.
  3. Following that approval, the above documents are presented to the Supervisory Body, to whom all the necessary accounting documentation is provided to ascertain that all income and expenditure entries, and their respective headings, correspond. This must be done at least 15 days before the Advisory Council’s meeting, which may also be called for this purpose.

Article 21 – The Supervisory Body
 

  1. The Supervisory Body is elected by an Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Delegates.
  2. It consists of three standing members from the Ministry of Economy and Finance’s Register of Statutory Auditors, one of whom assumes the role of President, and two alternate members from the same Register.
    The dispositions of articles 2397, part 2, and 2399 of the Italian Civil Code shall apply.
  3. The Supervisory Body:
    a) ensures compliance with the law, the Statute and principles of proper management;
    b) ensures the adequacy of the organisational, administrative and reporting structure and its actual operation;
    c) oversees the proper pursuit of the Academy’s goals and civic and socially useful purposes;
    d) presents the report accompanying the estimated budget and financial statement to the Advisory Council meeting to approve the same.
  4. The Supervisory Body’s standing members can, at any moment, undertake checks and inspections, and to this end they may ask the President’s Council for information about the progress of the Academy’s social activities or any particular matter.
  5. The Supervisory Body’s standing members may attend the Advisory Council’s meetings in which they present their annual report accompanying the estimated budget and financial statement.
  6. Membership of the Supervisory Body is incompatible with any other central or local Academic post.
  7. At the behest of the President’s Council, the Supervisory Body shall be authorised to undertake a statutory audit of the Academy’s accounts.
  8. If the Supervisory Body’s President resigns or is deceased, the remaining standing members, plus the first alternate member, elect a President from amongst themselves.

Article 22 – The Arbitration Board

  1. The Arbitration Board is comprised of three standing members, one of whom presides over the Board, and two alternate members.
  2. Members of the Arbitration Board are elected by the General Assembly of Delegates.
  3. In accordance with the procedures set out in the By-laws, the Arbitration Board, whose rulings are final, decides all questions and controversies that may arise from:
    a) actions taken by the statutory bodies of the Academy;
    b) disputes within Delegations and among the Academy’s governing bodies;
    c) recourses in cases of membership lapse, recall, exclusion or revocation, in accordance with the By-laws;
    d) issues inherent to compliance with the Statute, By-laws and Code of Ethics.
  4. Members of the Arbitration Board may not serve the Academy in any other capacity, whether centrally or locally.
  5. Any standing member of the Arbitration Board who is a party to a dispute as above will be replaced by the Arbitration Board’s first alternate member.
  6. If the President of the Arbitration Board resigns or is deceased, the remaining standing members, plus the first alternate member, elect a President from amongst themselves.

Article 23 – The Regional Coordinators

  1. Within Italy, the President’s Council may appoint from among current or former Delegates one or more Regional Coordinators based on the size of the area and number of Delegations therein.
  2. The areas to be assigned to Regional Coordinators are determined by the President’s Council, which nominates them after consulting with the local Delegates.
  3. Regional Coordinators are charged with:
    a) coordinating Academic events and any conferences organised by individual Delegations in their designated area;
    b) calling a meeting, which may occur remotely, of all the Delegates in their designated area at least twice a year to coordinate Academy activities, nominating a Secretary for the purpose of taking minutes to be sent to the President of the Academy;
    c) advising the President’s Council regarding the potential establishment of new Delegations or Legations in Italy;
    d) assisting Delegates and Legates with establishing the geographic limits of their areas of jurisdiction;
    e) participating, as members by right, in the meetings of their local Regional Study Centre, if one exists.

Article 24 – Delegations and Legations – constitution and dissolution
 

  1. The minimum number required to constitute a Delegation is twelve members in Italy and nine members abroad; all must fulfil the requirements of article 6, part 1. They must present a formal request proposing the constitution of a Delegation to the President of the Academy. The appropriate form, approved by the President’s Council, must be used and must include individual requests by the proposed members, and for each, a brief CV, a declaration of adherence to the Academy’s goals, and acceptance of the norms of the Statute, By-laws and Code of Ethics and collection and release of personal data by the Academy in accordance with its institutional norms.
  2. The name of the proposed Delegate shall be indicated on the application for the establishment of the Delegation.
  3. The President’s Council shall discuss the establishment of the new Delegation and determine its geographic reach, in consultation with the Delegate or Delegates whose own area could be affected by the new formation, and the competent Regional Coordinator, if in Italy and if one has been appointed.
  4. If a Delegation falls below nine active members for any reason, it may be closed by the President’s Council, or transformed into a Legation. The President’s Council will decide how to apportion the territory of the dissolved Delegation and, if applicable, the transfer of its Academicians, after consulting with the competent Delegate or Legate. If no transfer occurs, Academician status is in all respects lost, without the right to reimbursement of membership dues.
  5. If it is impossible to constitute or maintain a Delegation according to the requirements outlined in the previous paragraphs, the President’s Council may constitute a Legation. The President then nominates a Legate charged with monitoring the area’s restaurants and maintaining contact with local authorities, communication outlets and, if abroad, diplomatic representatives. The Legate and any other members of the Legation must be full Academicians and are accountable to the President. Legations abroad may request that the President’s Council nominate an Honorary Academician. Legates have neither the rights nor duties of Delegates and their nomination may be revoked by the President at any time. Legations may be closed at any time at the President’s Council’s discretion. A Legation whose members exceed the number indicated in paragraph 1 is transformed into a Delegation unless the President’s Council decides otherwise.

Article 25 – The Delegate

  1. The Delegate is the Academician chosen by the President’s Council to preside over a Delegation in a given area.
  2. The Delegate is charged with ensuring fruitful Academic activity through periodic convivial gatherings, conferences, constant monitoring of restaurants and the Delegation’s members, making nominations for the Academy’s prizes and other cultural initiatives. The Delegate must furthermore actively collaborate with the central statutory bodies and the Regional Coordinator, if any, in order to achieve the institutional goals of the Academy.
  3. The chosen Delegate’s name is submitted to the President’s Council by the Academicians of the relevant Delegation as stipulated in the By-laws.
  4. Delegates represent the Academy in their jurisdiction and the other Academicians in their Delegation. Delegates are responsible for their Delegation’s activities and propose any new Academicians to the President.
  5. Delegates also represent each Academician in their Delegation, from the onset of their membership, in the General Assembly of Delegates and exercise those Academicians’ voting rights as the Delegation’s sole representative.
  6. Each Delegate is personally responsible for the management of their Delegation. However, such management does not include hiring paid staff or making banking arrangements in the name of the Academy, which is not responsible for obligations assumed and economic activities conducted by the Delegation.
  7. Delegates must present to their Advisory Boards a detailed and exhaustive summary report on their Delegation’s activities during the past calendar year.
  8. Delegates or Legates who leave those positions for any reason must entrust their successor with their Advisory Board’s minutes, all documents pertaining to their Delegation or Legation, and the bell of office, if any. If a Delegation or Legation is closed, the above documents and any bell of office will be delivered to the Secretariat of the Academy.
  9. Delegates may only entrust their voting rights at an Ordinary General Assembly to another member in good standing of the same Delegation’s Advisory Board.

Article 26 – The Delegation Advisory Board

  1. The Delegation Advisory Board shall be comprised of the Delegate and a minimum of three and a maximum of nine Academicians.
  2. The Delegation Advisory Board will serve concurrently with the Delegate, who has the authority to replace, recall or nominate new Advisory Board members at any time following the Secretary-General’s approval.
  3. The Delegation Advisory Board, which must meet at least twice a year even if by remote means, is charged with:
    a) advising on the admission of new Academicians to the Delegation;
    b) collaborating with the Delegate to achieve the goals of the Academy in the Delegation’s jurisdiction;
    c) assisting the Delegate in organising Academic activities within the Delegation and monitoring restaurants in its jurisdiction.

Article 27 – Mandatory Record-keeping

The Academy must maintain the following records in conformity with current law:
a) a record of participants and their respective titles (Academicians, Honorary Academicians, Delegates, Legates, Honorary Delegates, Advisory Board members, Counsellors and Regional Coordinators);
b) a record of meetings and motions of the General Assembly of Delegates;
c) a record of meetings and motions of the President’s Council;
d) a record of meetings and motions of the Academic Advisory Council;
e) a record of the Supervisory Body.
The records enumerated in entries a), b), c) and d) above shall be overseen by the President’s Council.

TITLE IV: FINANCIAL YEAR AND STATEMENTS

Article 28 – Financial year

The Academy’s financial year runs from 1 January to 31 December of each year.

Article 29 – Financial Statement and Proposed Budget

  1. Following the reading of the report submitted by the Supervisory Body, the President’s Council shall each year present to the Academic Advisory Council the financial statement by the end of June and the projected budget by the end of November. Income and Debits must be specifically listed and categorised.
  2. Copies of the financial statement approved by the Academic Council shall be sent, on the President’s authority, to all sitting Delegates within sixty days of its approval.

TITLE V: FINAL PROVISIONS

Article 30 – Dissolution and distribution of assets

  1. In the event of the Academy’s dissolution for whatever reason, an Extraordinary Session of the General Assembly will appoint a liquidator and predispose the distribution of any remaining assets of the Academy, except where otherwise required by law, to other associations with the same goals and aspirations identified by the Extraordinary Session, or if none are identified, to the Fondazione Italia Sociale.
  2. Upon the appointment of a liquidator, all the Academy’s statutory bodies will cease to exist except the Supervisory Body, which will remain in charge until the liquidation has been duly completed.
  3. The liquidator must present the final accounts to the Supervisory Body for its approval.

Article 31 - Regulations governing the functioning of the Academy

  1. The activities of the Academy and its central and local statutory bodies are regulated by this Statute, approved at an Extraordinary Session of the General Assembly of Delegates; by the By-laws, which are an integral part thereof; and by the Code of Ethics.
  2. The By-laws and Code of Ethics are approved by the Academic Advisory Council, which must also consider and approve any amendments to them.
  3. Matters not covered by the present Statute are to be governed by the Italian Civil Code.