RE: AW: Re: Servas: question about Canada as possible domicile for SI

[Jonny Sågänger]

cc: SI Exco

Dear Magnus Adams,

thank you for your thourough research.

Please find my comments in lila.

Jonny Sågänger

Den 11 nov 2013 15:07 skrev "danielle serres" <daniell...@hotmail.com>:

I find quite interesting the info highlighted below (see point 6), which I didn't know. Thanks Magnus. Busy right now, but I will get back to you later.
 
Danielle
 

---

From: Magnus...@web.de
To: jon...@gmail.com
CC: daniell...@hotmail.com
Subject: Re: AW: Re: Servas: question about Canada as possible domicile for SI
Date: Mon, 11 Nov 2013 12:28:39 +0100

Dear Jonny,

Dear Danielle, in cc:

 

With my best wishes, I would like to answer your question about which reason promotes SI to stay in Switzerland:

in Peace and remembrance on todays November 11th, Day of Armistice!

 

Magnus

 

Reasons and Advantages:

 

1) Today SI is based in Switzerland. Changing the place is always connected with intensive bureaucratic tasks. (for example: banc account, registration, request to all SI member countries).

These bureaucratic task SI Exco will have to do anyway, in order to get a proper registration as an NGO and to get a domicile.

Please explain what you mean by:

request to all SI member countries

?

 

 

2) Switzerland is a neutral state. Neutrality is the core value of organizations, like the Red Cross, or Servas International, because the idea of tolerance is objective and not partial.

There are other neutral countries. Sweden is one of them.

 

 

3) The origin of SI is in Europe. So Europe seems to be a good choice for SI.

SI origin was created by a man from North America in some countries in Europe. The concept was later exported to other countres and continents. 

Today SI is a truly global network/organisation. 

 

 

4) Geneva is the base of the HRC (United Nations Human Rights Council) SI promotes Human Rights with our hospitality program. Having the base in the country where the decisions are made seems to be a good choice for SI.

 

The fact that UN HRC is located in Geneva indeed strenghtens the case for choosing Switzerland as a domicile for SI. It's my understanding that Human Righst is an important topic also in the UN in both New York City and in Vienna. This makes the case for the US and Austria stronger, but not self-evident.  

 

5) Changing the base means starting a competition between the national SI-groups. I am sure that every country has its advantages. Jealousy could rise easily, as members will ask: Why there? Why not in our country? –For this reason, SI could avoid such a competition by staying in Switzerland.

 

It's my conviction that the country that offers the best conditions for SI to establish a domicile for SI should also be the country that hosts the SI domicile.

 

6) According to the lawyers expertise of February 9^th 2010, from Dr. Katarzyna Lasota Heller “Adwokat” (Attorney at Law) Zug, Switzerland, I quote the “Adwokat”:

 

 “Therefore, based on the information received from Miroslaw Wasilewski in an email dated 14 January 2010, I assume that SI will be not obliged to register in the Commercial Register as it does not intend to pursue any economic activities and the intended annual revenue [of economic income] should not exceed 100.000 CHF.”

The annual revenue for SI  has for the most recent four-fiive years been in the range of 70 000-90 000 CHF, 

There's a perceived hope that the number of Servas members will increase and that will mean that the revenue will increase.

 

 

I would like to remember the information, that membership fees are not economic income in Switzerland.

This is interesting information. 

Could you please send a weblink with the reference to this source.
 

 

 

In my position of SI Peace Secretary Assistant I was obviously not in touch with the SI budget plan, so I cannot give any more detailed information. But as far as the “income” is a membership fee, we are not breaking the rules in Switzerland. This is particularly a question of the inner-rules of SI. (Membership fee of national member associations).

Example: 300.000 CHF of membership fees = no obligation to register nor to pay taxes!

This is interesting information. 

Could you please send a weblink with the reference to this source.  

 

7) Last but not least, if SI will decide to open an office in 2014 that supports the EXCO, the main tasks of such an office are:

 

a)      Fundraising (particularly EU –Funds) (to remember the average grant per “Network” in 2009: Ø440.027 €, Minimum grant 2009: 228.857 €, (data: EACEA Infodays November-December 2009, Brussels, Belgium).

Which documents and decisions exist regarding this:

"SI will decide to open an office in 2014"?, exceptg

?

 

b)   Networking.

c)   Support of Treasurer (accountancy) and President (assistance to prepare the GA). (Next GA= 2015 = As a fundable project, the preparation needs to start in 2014! = Deadline usually third     quarter of a year)

Which persons or prospectives persons - will do the job of search and apply for economic funds?  

 

d) Legal support and IT Homepage support and Translations particularly: English/French/Spanish.

e)   Support of SI Peace Secretary and United Nations representatives (organizing timetables, collecting data preparing obligatory annual report for the NGO Liaison Office etc.!) = Most important UN location = Geneva = HRC.

 

This is all fine. But how difficult/easy will it be to register Servas International in Switzerland.

More and more countries need document from SI to prove that their mother organisation is serious et cetera. 

 

An office in Europe facilitates: a) c) e)

An office particularly in Switzerland facilitates: a) b) c) e)

Adam, thank you for engaging in this important matter about the need for a proper registration for SI in one country of the world. 

All the best,

Jonny Sågänger 

 

 

----- Original Message -----

From: Jonny Sågänger

To: M. Adams ; danielle serres

Sent: Thursday, November 07, 2013 11:49 PM

Subject: Re: AW: Re: Servas: question about Canada as possible domicile for SI

Ok, fine.
I would like to hear you most important arguments for establishing SI's in Switzerland.
Jonny

Den 7 nov 2013 15:39 skrev "M. Adams" <magnus...@web.de>:

Dear Jonny,

Thank you very much for your email. I am following the discussion with strong interest. 

From my point of view Switzerland should be the choice, even for the legal status, for different reasons.

I will be out of town until Sunday evening. 

all the best,

yours

Magnus

-------- Ursprüngliche Nachricht --------
Von: Jonny Sågänger <jon...@gmail.com>
Datum:
An: Penny Pattison <pmpa...@islandnet.com>
Cc: Mirek Wasilewski <mirek.t...@gmail.com>,servasinternatio...@googlegroups.com,Suzanne Stirling <suzanne...@gmail.com>,Julie Dotsch <onew...@sympatico.ca>,Pramod Kumar <pramod...@gmail.com>,Magnus Adams <Magnus...@web.de>
Betreff: Re: Servas: question about Canada as possible domicile for SI

Very helpful,

thank you Penny

All the best,

Jonny Sågänger

2013/11/6 Penny Pattison <pmpa...@islandnet.com>

Dear Jonny,
additional cc's: Servas Canada NS Julie Dotsch, Pramod Kumar

Pramod Kumar was the person who coordinated the call for other countries in which to register Servas International.

Servas Canada was approached (specifically the National Secretary Michael Silbert). Servas Canada declined to take on the responsibility of investigating or facilitating the registering of Servas International in Canada. It was agreed by the 2009-2012 EXCO that it would only be appropriate to register SI in a country where the national group supported the efforts. Therefore, Canada was not on the list of possibilities, and as far as I am aware, no efforts were made officially to see what would be required. Gary Sealey might have made unofficial inquiries, but not representing Servas Canada.

I hope this helps.

In peace,
Penny

On 2013-11-05 4:50 PM, Jonny Sågänger wrote:

cc: Penny, Suzanne, SI Exco

Hi Mirek,

I've spent some time this evening to find out more about yours and others ambitious efforts to find out whether Switzerland is a viable alternative as a domicile for Servas International 

or 

if it isn't, so that SI for that reason should try to find another country to reside and be registered in.

I have talked to the swedish tax authorities about rules for registration of NGO's in Sweden, and I have talked to swedish banks.

This looks all pretty promising. 

I wonder if you could help me with this question:

did Gary Sealey or somebody else write a report or produce any other documentation about the efforts that were made to find out how suitable Canada would be as a prospective domicile for SI?

I have copied in Suzanne Stirling, with whom I spoke just briefly about this matter. Suzanne and I are "Servas collaborators", as a result of the SIGA2012 decision that SI officials should try to find persons younger than themselves to establish working relationships. 

All the best,

Jonny Sågänger

[Jonny Sågänger]

Dear Magnus,

thank you for you the feedback.

My main point is:

Servas International needs to get a trustworthy and sustainable registration for a domicile/seat in a country somewhere in this universe.

We need to find out which country would be most suitable to host this domicile/seat on a long term basis. My perspective is expanded - in a first step - to the year 2015, then the following mandate periods for Exco for the years 2015-2018, 2018-20121 et cetera.

This is why we need to lift our perspective and not only defend Switzerland as the one and sole alternative.

We need to find out:

1. Is Switzerland SI's domicile of preference?

2. If not, which other alternative do we have?

All the best,

Jonny 

2013/11/21 Magnus Adams <Magnus...@web.de>

Dear Jonny,

Thank you very much for your mail and your interesting comments and questions.
As I am currently in my close preparations to my exams on December 4th, I am not able to give you appropriate answers to your questions right now.

I will do so after my exams.

To avoid any misunderstanding:  Under point 7) I gave an example related to the GA 2015. I wrote: if SI will decide to open an office in 2014...
With the if-clause I tried to headline that until now according to my knowledge there is not yet such a decision of the EXCO.
Please, don´t hesitate to correct me, and to update me in any case.

best wishes,
in Peace!

Magnus