Aims
Content
Working For the
Future - Working For Our Environment
The Founding of C.A.R.M.E.N.
Structure and Size
How is C.A.R.M.E.N. Organized?
In the Heart of Europe
Working For the Future - Working For Our Environment
With Agenda 21 and the reform in the agrarian sector, renewable resources are now becoming more and more important for agriculture, environment and industry. This new focus is more than justified, since the utilization of renewable resources might become a model for environmentally-friendly production which is in tune with the cycle of nature.
C.A.R.M.E.N., the Coordinating Office for Renewable Raw Materials, was founded on 6th July 1992 at the instigation of the Free State of Bavaria during a symposium on "The Cycle of Nature - Natural Raw Materials for a Modern Society", which was held in the Würzburg Residenz, a building which has been appointed World Cultural Heritage by UNESCO.
The statutes read:
"The purpose of C.A.R.M.E.N. is to promote the research, study, development
and use of renewable raw materials to safeguard the future of rural areas,
as well as to meet environmental, social and economic demands."
The structure and size of C.A.R.M.E.N. varies on demand. At the moment, C.A.R.M.E.N. has 19 employees (figures from June 2001).
During its approximately five years of operating, C.A.R.M.E.N. has come a long way. Today 57 medium-sized companies and industrial associations have become members of C.A.R.M.E.N. (last update: June 2001), which is organized as a non-profit organization.
C.A.R.M.E.N. is the Bavarian coordinating office for renewable raw materials and was set up as a service institution for partners from both the industrial and the political sector. Although C.A.R.M.E.N. is a Bavarian organization, it also works on projects outside the Bavarian state lines and even outside Germany.
How is C.A.R.M.E.N. Organized?
C.A.R.M.E.N. is a non-profit organization.
C.A.R.M.E.N.'s institutional framework consists of the following:
- the assembly of members (§ 7 of office
statutes):
The assembly of members is the controlling institution of C.A.R.M.E.N. The managing committee has the liability to report to the assembly annually. It is the responsibility of the assembly to see to it that C.A.R.M.E.N.'s policy is being fulfilled. - the managing committee (§ 8 of office
statutes):
The managing committee pursues the stated goals in cooperation with the corresponding authorities in the political, agrarian, scientific and industrial sectors.The managing committee (as of 31.11.2003) consists of:
one representatives of the Free State of Bavaria
- Reinhold Erlbeck, Bavarian Ministry of agriculture and forestry (committee chairperson)
- Franz Kustner, BBV-Bezirkspräsident, Hirschau (deputy chairperson)
- Dieter Gräf, Agrarhandel Schilling, Uffenheim (deputy chairperson)
- Klaus Bär, Metzeler Schaum GmbH, Memmingen (committee member)
- Georg Höhensteiger, ENAH (Energie aus Holz e.V.), Rohrdorf, (committee member)
- Dr. jur. Peter Deml, E.ON Energie AG, München (committee
member)
- the funding committee (§ 9 of office
statutes)
(the committee has not yet been appointed) - the managing board (§ 10 of office
statutes)
It is the responsibility of the managing board to determine the work schedule and to conduct all activities with the consent of the managing committee.
- membership fees
- payments for supervision and evaluation of projects (2 % of the costs of each particular project)
- payments for various services (studies, analysis, consultations etc.). Members are entitled to special rates for these services.
The location in Straubing/Danube offers optimal conditions for the fulfillment of the tasks C.A.R.M.E.N. has set for itself:
- it shows C.A.R.M.E.N.'s commitment to rural areas
- it situates the company in the heart of Germany and Europe
- it is conveniently situated close to major road and rail routes
- it is located close to partner companies and important institutions
