CEETRA
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Join CEETRA

Central and Eastern Europe is a region where our industry – up until now - has not yet organised itself to face political and legislative challenges. Key issues such as the one-bag rule or new regulations on tobacco and alcohol are on EU decision-makers’ agenda these years. We need to ensure that governments fully understand the uniqueness of travel-retail and work with us to adapt legislation that is fit for purpose.

CEETRA will provide Central and Eastern European travel-retail with the solid representation that it needs. CEETRA was formally established in November 2012 and has already received wide industry support from long-standing trade associations such as the Tax Free World Association and the European Travel Retail Council amongst others. CEETRA aim to follow the steps of the successful regional model of the Nordic Travel Retail Group that was set up following the abolition of duty-free in the European Union in 1999.

CEETRA is initially representing companies in Austria, Czech Republic, Croatia, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Romania and Bulgaria involved in supplying and retailing goods to travelling consumers in all duty free and travel retail outlets throughout the Central and Eastern European region. Other countries may join at a later stage.

 

How will CEETRA defend the interests of your business?

CEETRA will draw its strength from taking a regional approach as well as a national one in representing and preserving the industry against harmful international and EU policy. Through strong representation on the ground in these countries, travel retailers will be better informed on legislative developments. CEETRA will serve as an advocacy platform to ensure solid defence of key interests in the region. Political engagement on crucial matters will be carried out at EU level in Brussels with CEETRA actively outreaching to the European Parliament and the European Commission to exchange views on a number of pressing issues.

In parallel to the awareness-raising efforts in EU institutions, CEETRA will need to ensure that Member States fully comprehend the uniqueness of travel-retail by providing them with on the ground and concrete examples to allow for a level-playing field to emerge.

 

Benefits of joining CEETRA

  • Strength of industry combined action on issues of common interest

  • Furthering Central and Eastern European initiatives at EU level

  • Platform for voicing regional issues in high-level trade instances

  • Exchange of information and best-practice on practical/industry issues and on how to deal with challenging policy questions at national and international level

  • Regular Members meetings & Conference calls

  • Networking opportunities and information on key events

  • Newsletters, press releases, regular reports & updates

 

Funding of CEETRA

CEETRA is a non-profit association and is funded with membership fees, which cover the day-to-day functioning costs. The organisation is assisted by a Secretariat in Brussels.

As a member of CEETRA, your ideas and proposals for action will be very welcome and being in the association will give you a strong platform and voice from which to address the issues to mutual benefit and interest.

The yearly membership fee is set at EUR 2500 which is in line with other travel retail associations in Europe.

Please consider the benefits of joining CEETRA and how you might use your membership in CEETRA to add your ideas and efforts to an organization dedicated to promoting and protecting the duty-free and travel-retail in Central and Eastern Europe. Your membership fee will be an investment not only to your industry’s future but also to your region.

 

How to join

Please get in contact with one of our board members or send an e-mail to our secretariat at the following e-mail address: secretariat@ceetra.org  

 

Details of membership

Below are the articles 4, 5 and 6 from our Articles of Association, and which are describing the terms of membership:

Article 4 - Membership

Membership shall be open to Belgians and other nationalities.

Membership shall be open to any enterprise – lessor, manufacturer/supplier/distributor or operator – that is involved in manufacturing goods or selling goods to travelers between two or more countries in the Central and Eastern European region.

There is no maximum number of members. The minimum number of members shall be 9 members.

Applications for admission to membership shall be sent in writing to the Board of the Association and the applicant must commit to the terms of the Articles of Association. The Board will make the final decision on membership admission.

The association is composed of members of three categories: founding members, supporting members and regular members. All members enjoy the full rights granted to them under the law and these statutes.

Article 5 - Membership categories

Members of the Association will fall into one of three categories:

  1. Founding Members: the two members mentioned as those “who took part” and who by their signatures assume full legal responsibility within the stipulations of the Articles of Association of AISBL. Founding Members have paid a onetime contribution of five thousand euro (€5,000.00) in connection with entering the association. From year two onwards Legal Founding Members pay the normal membership fee.
  2. Supporting Members: Are the eight members who shall be named at the general assembly following the establishment of the association, to fulfil the objective set in article 4 of the Articles of Association of having minimum 9 members, and who do not hold any particular legal responsibility other than what is stipulated in the Articles of Association. Supporting Members pay a onetime contribution of five thousand euro (€5,000.00) in connection with entering the association. From year two onwards Supporting Members pay the normal membership fee.
  3. Regular Members: Are all members beyond the two categories mentioned in sections 5a and 5b, and who hold no particular legal responsibility other than what is stipulated in the Articles of Association, and who pay normal membership fee.

Membership of either category can be terminated by the following criteria:

Dissolution (with or without legal successor) of the member Dissolution of the Association
Resignation of the member:

To resign from membership of the Association the member wishing to resign shall file a resignation request in writing not less than three months before the end of the calendar year in which case the membership shall terminate on 31 December of the calendar year in which it was submitted.

Exclusion of the member:

  1. In circumstances where a member of the Association acts in a manner which, in the view of the board, is contrary to the mission and objectives of the Association the board may decide by qualified majority (with a resolution passed by at least three-quarters majority of board members present) to initiate exclusion of the affected member. The affected member shall be notified in writing about the initiation of exclusion. Such member shall have the right to present arguments against their exclusion, in writing, and to address them to the Chairman of the Board within 15 days after receipt of the written notice of exclusion. Should the member fail to present its arguments within the above timeframe or the qualified majority of the members of the board (that is, at least three quarters of board members) do not accept such arguments, the Board shall decide on the exclusion with qualified majority (with a resolution passed by at least three-quarters of board members present), and the exclusion shall take effect on the day when the Board made its resolution on the exclusion with qualified majority (passed by at least a three-quarters majority of board members present).
  2. In the event of exclusion the affected member will forfeit membership fees already paid to the Association and will remain liable for any outstanding membership fees.

Members whose membership of the Association has terminated shall have no claim to the Association’s assets. Any claims from the Association shall be made within one year of termination of the membership.

Article 6 - Membership fees

Members will undertake to pay an annual membership fee. If a member joins the association after 1st July the membership fee for that year will be fifty per cent (50%) of the yearly membership fee.

Membership fees are proposed by the Board and submitted to the General Assembly in the yearly Budget Proposal and determined by the General Assembly at the Annual General Assembly. Membership fees are invoiced and collected in advance for one year at a time.

The Association shall be liable for its debts with its own assets. The members’ liability shall be limited to the amount of their membership fees, which shall be capped at the value of their yearly membership and any unpaid membership fees that have accumulated, and the members shall not in any case be held liable for the obligations and liabilities of the Association with their own assets.

The initial capital of the Association shall consist of the first membership fee payable by each member (with the amount depending on the membership category) the bank account of the Association.

CEETRA is a proud member of

The European Travel Retail Confederation

CEETRA

Central & Eastern European Travel Retail Association aisbl.

c/o Penta

41 Rue de la Science

1040 Brussels

Belgium

Registered in Belgium, reg. no. 0597.926.905

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COUNTRIES

ALBANIA
AUSTRIA
BULGARIA
CZECH REPUBLIC
CROATIA
HUNGARY
KOSOVO
MACEDONIA
MONTENEGRO
POLAND
ROMANIA
SERBIA
SLOVAKIA
SLOVENIA