Statutes of the Commission for Bavarian History (KBLG)

The Commission’s remit is to promote and coordinate the systematic research and study of Bavarian history. The Commission establishes a work plan for its activities, which it supplements as required. In carrying out its remit, it entrusts qualified experts with specific tasks, in particular the publication of works initiated or accepted by the Commission. The Commission also supports the activities of scholars, associations and societies that are not among its direct collaborators but who are engaged in the scholarly study of the history of Bavaria as a whole or in part and seeks to align them with established guidelines without prejudice to their independence.

(1) The Commission comprises ordinary and extraordinary members. The members are appointed by the Commission. The number of ordinary members shall not exceed 27. Members aged over 70 are not included in this maximum number. Only those persons who have rendered outstanding services to the scholarly research and study of Bavarian regional history, and who are willing and able to play an active part in the Commission’s work, may be elected as members. At least two ordinary members must be ordinary members of the philosophy and history class of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities. New members are elected by a two-thirds majority of the votes cast by the ordinary members of the Commission present.

The election of the members is notified to the State Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts.

(2) Ordinary members must be resident within Bavaria. If an ordinary member moves their place of residence outside Bavaria, they become an extraordinary member. If this member returns to Bavaria, he or she shall once again assume the rights and obligations of an ordinary member, even if this results in the maximum number of ordinary members specified in paragraph 1, sentence 3 being exceeded. In this case, no new elections will be held until the number of ordinary members has fallen below 27.

(3) Ordinary members, with the exception of those aged over 70, are required to participate in the Commission’s work and meetings. Extraordinary members are entitled to attend meetings. All ordinary members, and only they, are entitled to vote. All members receive an attendance allowance for attending meetings and, if they live outside the greater Munich area, reimbursement of travel expenses and a daily allowance.

(4) Membership shall cease in the event of death, or upon resignation or expulsion from the Commission. Notice of resignation must be given in writing. The Commission may, upon the request of three ordinary members, decide to expel a member who, through serious misconduct or by acting contrary to the Commission’s interests, has proved unsuitable for membership. The resolution must be passed at an annual meeting by a majority comprising more than half of all ordinary members required to attend and at least three-quarters of the members present. At least two weeks before the annual meeting, the motion for expulsion must be communicated in writing to all ordinary members, stating the reasons in detail. Reference must be made to the confidential nature of this notice. The notice must be accompanied by the invitation to the annual meeting. The member facing expulsion must be given the opportunity to make a written or oral statement before the annual meeting reaches its decision, insofar as this is possible.

(5) If a member has proved themselves unsuitable for membership due to serious misconduct or a breach of the Commission’s rules, the Commission may, by the majority specified in paragraph 4, also decide to suspend their membership until the matter has been resolved.

(1) The Commission shall meet once a year for its annual meeting. The Executive Committee may convene further general meetings. It must convene a general meeting if at least five ordinary members request this in a written application setting out their reasons.

(2) At the annual meeting, a report is given on the research carried out during the past financial year. The powers reserved for the general meeting include approving the final accounts for the past financial year, receiving the report on the current budget, and adopting the draft budget for the coming financial year, which covers all the Commission’s revenue and expenditure.

(3) Resolutions on the following matters may only be passed at general meetings:

1. Drawing up the work plan
2. The adoption of a draft budget for the coming financial year, setting out all revenue and expenditure of the commission.
3. Election of new members
4. Exclusion of members and suspension of membership
5. Election of the Executive Committee
6. Adoption, amendment and repeal of Rules of Procedure
7. The boundaries of the greater Munich area
8. Amendments to the Statutes

(4) A general meeting shall have a quorum if more than half of the ordinary members who are required to attend the meeting are present. Unless otherwise provided for in these Statutes, resolutions shall be passed by a simple majority of those present. In the event of a tie, the chairperson has the casting vote.

Section 5 Executive Committee

(l) The Commission’s Executive Committee consists of the chairperson and the vice-chairperson. The Commission elects the Executive Committee from among its ordinary members by a simple majority for a term of five years. Re-election is permitted. The appointment of the members of the Executive Committee is subject to confirmation by the Bavarian State Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts. Members of the Executive Committee must be resident in the greater Munich area.

(2) The chairperson shall direct and supervise the implementation of the work plan drawn up by the Commission. He or she manages the day-to-day affairs of the Commission, consulting with the vice-chairperson on important matters. He or she convenes the general meetings and the meetings of the local committee, chairs them and ensures that the decisions are implemented. He or she makes proposals to the President of the Academy for the appointment of full-time and part-time staff to the Commission.

(3) In accordance with the powers of attorney granted to him or her by the President of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities, the chairperson shall also have the following powers:

1. Authority to act as the Academy’s representative in all current activities of the Commission
2. Management of the funds made available to the Commission
3. Conclusion of service or contract agreements with part-time staff at the Commission
4. Issuing of official instructions to the staff working for the Commission.

(4) The vice-chairperson shall deputise for the chairperson in the event of the chairperson’s absence. In the event that both the chairperson and the vice-chairperson are unable to attend, the President of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities may, on a case-by-case basis, appoint another ordinary member of the Commission to act as the Commission’s legal representative.

(l) The Commission’s Executive Committee consists of the chairperson and the vice-chairperson. The Commission elects the Executive Committee from among its ordinary members by a simple majority for a term of five years. Re-election is permitted. The appointment of the members of the Executive Committee is subject to confirmation by the Bavarian State Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts. Members of the Executive Committee must be resident in the greater Munich area.

(2) The chairperson shall direct and supervise the implementation of the work plan drawn up by the Commission. He or she manages the day-to-day affairs of the Commission, consulting with the vice-chairperson on important matters. He or she convenes the general meetings and the meetings of the local committee, chairs them and ensures that the decisions are implemented. He or she makes proposals to the President of the Academy for the appointment of full-time and part-time staff to the Commission.

(3) In accordance with the powers of attorney granted to him or her by the President of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities, the chairperson shall also have the following powers:

1. Authority to act as the Academy’s representative in all current activities of the Commission
2. Management of the funds made available to the Commission
3. Conclusion of service or contract agreements with part-time staff at the Commission
4. Issuing of official instructions to the staff working for the Commission.

(4) The vice-chairperson shall deputise for the chairperson in the event of the chairperson’s absence. In the event that both the chairperson and the vice-chairperson are unable to attend, the President of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities may, on a case-by-case basis, appoint another ordinary member of the Commission to act as the Commission’s legal representative.

The ordinary members living in the greater Munich area form the local committee. The local committee meets at the invitation of the Executive Committee. It shall be convened if at least three ordinary members of the Commission submit a written request to that effect. It advises the Executive Committee on matters of particular importance or urgency. This shall be without prejudice to Section 4(3).

The day-to-day business of the Commission is handled by a full-time Secretary, who must be academically qualified, but also suited to administrative duties. The Executive Committee determines the Secretary’s remit. For the duration of his or her term of office, the academic secretary shall be a member of the Commission with the right to vote.

(1) Detailed provisions regarding the duties and powers of the chairperson and vice-chairperson, as well as the procedure for general meetings and meetings of the local committee, may be laid down in the Rules of Procedure.

(2) Rules of Procedure may also be adopted for subcommittees and bodies responsible for carrying out a project designed to run over a longer period.

(3) The adoption, amendment and repeal of Rules of Procedure may only be decided at a general meeting by a two-thirds majority of the voting members present.

(1) The Commission receives an earmarked subsidy annually from the Free State of Bavaria as part of the overall subsidy awarded to the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities. The treasury and accounting are managed by the office cash department responsible for the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities.

(2) The Commission shall submit the minutes of the annual meeting to the State Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts via the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities each year. The President of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities may provide an expert opinion on this submission.

(3) Correspondence with the State Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts shall be channelled through the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities.

Amendments to these Statutes may only be adopted by a three-quarters majority of the members present; they require the approval of the State Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts and the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities.

These Statutes were adopted on 12 July 1963 and amended by resolutions dated 31 July 1965, 21 July 1995 and 19 February 1999.