Legalization of scientific associations

 

Dear Colleagues in Anthropology,

 

Thanks to the votes of EAA (European Anthropological Association http://eaa.elte.hu), I was elected during the past two years as a Board member. I offered myself to serve in any position and thereafter I was appointed to be the EAA Treasurer (http://eaa.elte.hu/administration_board.html). Next I was asked to open a bank account in order to receive the circa 40,000 Euros that were in the EAA disposal. In order to do this I had two possibilities: A - Open a personal bank account (as it happens till now for many international associations too) and B - Create an official bank account on behalf of the EAA. On this matter, Greek attorneys advised me do not receive any money in a personal bank account, but only in that of the EAA. Thus I went to three different banks in Athens (Alpha bank, Citibank and National bank), where I received the same answer: according to the recent international lows, to open a bank account on behalf of the EAA, legalization papers are needed, i.e. first of all the recognition of the EAA by a court of low (anywhere in Europe). 

During the past two years many e-mails were exchanged among the EAA Board members on the issue (as well as concerning the proper approval of the statutes change on treasury, electronic voting etc). Recently (spring 2014), besides focusing once more on further legalizing EAA,  I proposed to contact other European as well as world scientific bodies in order to create a bibliographical Internet data base, as well as to appoint most cities as chairs of various scientific disciplines (naturally all recognized by courts of low). Thus for example Psychology could be based in Paris, Texas or Cape Town, Anatomy in Beijing, Cairo or Sidney and so on. I also proposed in honor of Aristotle - considered the father of our scientific discipline - to appoint a Hellenic city (p. ex. Stagira) as the chair of Anthropology.

Followed a kind of skepticism concerning the functionality of EAA as well as other International associations (probably due to some different scientific p. ex. views too). However I consider that the receivers of the present letter are entitled to be aware of the previously referred problems and propositions. Based on the above I would like to wish also that next administrations might be able to promote solving similar topics.

Please, allow me to remain at your disposal for further discussions or actions, sincerely yours Dr Nickos A. Poulianos (founding member of the EAA during the 1st meeting at Zagreb in 1977, cf. http://www.aee.gr/hellenic/98%20Archive/1970-1979/1978/Anthropos%201978,%20p.%20256.htm).