15/06/2021
We last revised the cooperative’s statutes in autumn 2015. Considerable time has passed and the Council and office propose the following important changes:
Amendment 1
The language of the ‘purpose’ article has been revised and the content amended slightly. The original purpose, that cooperative members provide mutual support in emergencies (lump sum compensation and aid fund), of course remains unchanged, even if certain details are now to be regulated. By contrast, Soliswiss’s consultancy function is now to be more strongly emphasised.
Amendment 2
The management of Soliswiss is to be streamlined. In the 2015 statutes, provision was made for a Committee in addition to the Council. The Committee was intended to relieve the burden on the Council. In recent years, the Committee has already become inactive, with all responsibilities instead being assumed directly by the Council. For this reason, it is proposed that the provision of the Committee should be removed from the statutes entirely.
Similarly, the provision of an internal monitoring body should be dispensed with. Soliswiss has an internal monitoring system and is reviewed annually by an external auditor.
It is proposed that the members of the Council should now be elected annually (instead of every four years) at the Annual General Meeting. Up to now, the Council has been able to choose its own president. The new proposal is that the election of the president should be explicitly the responsibility of the AGM.
Amendment 3
The various membership categories are now listed clearly in the statutes. For some years now, in addition to individual membership, Soliswiss has also been offering joint membership and a ‘club & company’ membership.
Amendment 4
Soliswiss lost its tax-exempt status a few years ago. Since its foundation, Soliswiss has existed to serve its members, which means it is not classed as a charitable organisation. We have amended certain provisions accordingly. For example, in the event of liquidation, the Annual General Meeting may freely choose whether to grant any surplus to the members or to another organisation. The restriction of merger options to tax-exempt organisations is also no longer necessary.
Amendment 5
We have always been there for Swiss citizens abroad, whatever their gender. We have therefore made changes so that the language of our statutes is more gender-balanced, hopefully without impacting readability.
We would like the Annual General Meeting on 19 August 2021 to approve the amended statutes. Are you interested in being actively involved as a cooperative member? If so, please contact Nicole Töpperwien directly.
We look forward to talking to you!
2021_Statutenentwurf zur Mitwirkung