Statute

Art. 1

The "Community of the Mediterranean Universities" is established. The Community, upholding the freedom of science and in order to contribute to peace, has the following aims:

to reaffirm and develop the role and function of culture and technological and scientific research for the solution of difficult and complex problems created by the development of the countries of the Mediterranean Sea;
to promote scientific cooperation among the Mediterranean Universities, using the experience and resources of each University while respecting the differences and the features of the different nationa- lities;
to set up permanent links among the above-mentioned universities through the reciprocal exchange of scientific and cultural experience and information of teaching staff and students;
Set up links between the CMU and the economics, industrial and local Institutions in the countries where at least one university is adhering.

Art. 2

The Community legally recognised and is represented in all cases by its President.
The Community centre is at the University of Bari (Italy).
Community activities can take place in any universityes belonging to the Community.

Art. 3

The Community is composed of the following:

the President of the Community;
the General Assembly of Member Universities;
the Council of the Community;
the Head Office;
the Permanent Work Commissions;
the College of Auditors;
the Secretariats of the C.M.U., one for each member country
the Committee of the representatives of economic, industrial and local Institutions adhering to CMU.
Committee of each Adhering Scientific Network under art.10 ter.

Art. 4

The President of the Community is elected by the Council, holds office for four years and may be reelected.
The President sees to the convening of the General Assembly, the Council and the Head Office; he presi- des over the meeting of the Council, the Head Office and, if necessary, the Committee of Secretariats; he sees that the decisions of the Council and of the Head Office are carried out; he represents the Community in all cases.

Art. 5

The General Assembly of the Community is composed of Rectors, or their delegates, from all the mem- ber universities.
The Assembly meets when convened by thePresident of the Community, at least once every two years. At every sitting the Assembly appoints a Head Office composed of:
   1 President;
   3 Vice-Presidents;
   1 Secretary.

The Assembly's task is:

to indicate the general policy and outline programmes of Community activities;
to take note of the work of the Community and of the Head Office;
to take note of the election of the members of the Council;
to approve by a majority of two thirds the proposals for integration and modification of the Statute put forward by the Council, and by a full majority those regarding the Regulations put forward by the Council.

Art. 6

The Council is composed up of the Rectors or their delegates from one university of each Mediterranean country. The representatives of the Mediterranean Universities in the Council are elected every four years by the single national groups of the member universities and may be reelected.
The tasks of the Council are:

to approve the moral report and theprovisional andfinal budget;
to discussprogrammes of activity presented by the Head Office and the Commissions on the basis of indications supplied by the General Assembly;
to appoint the members of the Head Office;
to appoint the Chairmen ot the Permanent Work Commissions;
to establish the membership fee for each university;
to receive and put forward proposals for modificationin the Statute to the Assembly;
to propose the College of Auditors to the Assembly.

The decisions of the Council are taken on a simple majority and in the case of parity the President's vote is final.

Art. 7

The Head Office is composed of:
1 President;
3 Vice Presidents;
1 General Secretary.

The members of the Head Office hold office for four years and may be reelected.
The Head Office meets at least twice a year when convened by the President.
The Office is legally viable when at least three of its members, including the President, are present.
The deliberations of the Office are adopted when there is a simple majority of those present. In the case of parity the vote of the President is decisive.
The tasks of the Office are:

to draw up a moral report, a provisional budget and final budget;
to carry out the programmes decided by the Council and to prepare the plans of programmes to be submitted to the Council.

Art. 8

The Council appoints one Chairman for each Commission.
The Commission Chairmen hold office for four years and may be reelected.
The Council appoints the members of each Commission after consulting the respective Chairmen.
The Commissions meet at least once a year when convened by their own Chairman.
The Commission's tasks are:

to carry out studies and research according to the areas of competence;
to present proposals of programmes to be carried out, according to the areas of competence, to the Head Office which, in turn, will pass them on to the Council for approval.

The following Commissions are established, leaving open the possibility to establish others at a later date:

Commission fo Natural Sciences and Health;
Commission for Technology;
Commission for Economic and Juridical Sciences;
Commission for Communications;
Commission for Education;
Commission for Human Sciences and Arts.

Art. 9

The College of Auditors is composed of three members:

director of the Ministry of Education and of Italian Scientific and Technological Research;
a professor of a C.M.U. Member University;
a director of the University of Bari.

The task of the College of Auditors is:

to keep a regular check on accounts;
to draw up an annual budget;
to keep a check on the balance of funds, stocks and bonds and carry out inspection and verification at any time, also individually.

Art. 10

In each country of the Mediterranean, of which at least one university is a member of the Community, a Secretariat of the C.M.U. has been established that reports to the Head Office.
The Centre of the Secretariats is decided by the Council, as proposed by the President.
Each Secretariat will have to:

establish a data bank for the Universities and Research Institutes of its own country;
keep in contact with the Head Office;
supply the universities of its own country with information on the C.M.U.;
keep information, forms and publications of the C.M.U. available for the Universities.

The expenses of the Secretariats are charged to the University of the country where they are situated and are not part of the C.M.U. budget. The Council may, exceptionally, make special contributions to the Secretariats.

Art. 10 bis

The economic, industrial and local Institutions adher to CMU as Associate Members and a coordination committee is Secretary General elected of wich are members CMU’s and the President.CMU’s President presides and convenes the meetings of this committee. The tasks of the economic, industrial and local Institutions, in close collaboration with the Mediterranean Universities, are:

To present programmes and proposals, subscribed to by the CMU’s President and approved by the coun- try representative, to the various national as well as international bodies, in collaboration with the Universities;
To manage the contracts obtained through the above-mentioned bodies under the supervision of the country representative and the responsality of the CMU’s President, who subscribes to the contracts;
To promote and carry out, periodically, treaning courses, with the collaboration of the teaching staff also from Mediterranean countries other than that of the proposing economic, industrial and local Institution, agreed upon with CMU’s President and Secretary General;
To convene a meeting of the committee as well as of the representatives of the economic, industrial and local Instituions at least every two years during the Assembly of the CMU.

Art. 10 ter

Multinational Mediterranean scientific networks, set up either on a regional or on a disciplinary basis, other than CMU, may apply for CMU adhesion in view of preparing and implementing together education and research programs.
The CMU Council reserves the right to assess any adhesion application by deliberation to be approved by the Assembly.
By this ratification the Universities belonging to the Network adhere to CMU if they so wish. Each Network is entitled to have one representative as a full-fledged member in the CMU Council.

Art. 11

The patrimony of the Council is composed of:

membership fees paid by member universities and of the economic, industrial and local Institutions as Associate Members, which are determined by the Council;
contributions from Ministries, local, national and international Institutes and national and international scientific organizations;
legacies and donations from private persons which have duly been accepted by the Council.

The Community budget is annual and runs from 1st January to 31st December of each year. The administration of the University of Bari is entrusted with the administrative and financial management of the Community.

Art. 12

The regulations of the Italian Civil Code are applicable for any item not included in the present statute.

Art. 13

Disputes which may arise as a result of the application of this Statute will be referred to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Italian judicial authority and to the territorial competence of the audicial authority of the place where the Community is based.

Art. 14

The Community decides to establish relationships with the International and National Organizations spe- cialized in areas of interest to the Community, in particular UNESCO.
The Organizationsthat establish relationships with the Community will be represented by a delegate acting as observer in the General Assembly and in Council Meetings.

Art. 15

The proposals for modification of the Statute have to be put forward to the Council that, after approving them, will inform the General Assembly. They will come into force after approval by a majority of two thirds of the members of the Assembly.

EVENTS