Motie

Over een week vindt de jaarvergadering van de Algemene Antroposofische Vereniging plaats. Dat gebeurt in Zwitserland, in Dornach bij Bazel, waar het Goetheanum zich bevindt, het hoofdkwartier van deze internationale vereniging. Op de website van de AAG (Allgemeine Anthroposophische Gesellschaft) staat dit ook aangekondigd. In het Duits uiteraard. Gelukkig is hier ook een Engelse vertaling van:

‘General Anthroposophical Society
Invitation to the Annual Conference at the Goetheanum on 27 and 28 March 2010
The destiny of the I in the age of the etheric Christ

Dear members,

We most warmly invite you to the 2010 Annual Conference of the General Anthroposophical Society at the Goetheanum in Dornach (CH) on 27 and 28 March 2010. The main theme for this year’s Conference will be “The destiny of the I in the age of the etheric Christ”. It is also our Theme of the Year for 2010/2011.

On the 27th of March we want to turn first of all to the Theme of the Year. Following an introduction, we’ll be working in groups. The Annual General Meeting of the General Anthroposophical Society will follow at 11.15 a.m. The invitation to this follows hereafter. We’ll meet for the Memorial in the evening.

The next day, the 28th of March, we plan to continue the work on the Theme of the Year in groups. Reports will also be given on the work of the School of Spiritual Science and the worldwide Society.

The agenda for the Annual Conference is as follows.

Saturday, 27 March 2010

09:00 – 09:30 Introducing the Theme of the Year, “The destiny of the I in the age of the etheric Christ”, Sergej Prokofieff
09:30 – 10:30 Group work on the Theme of the Year.
10:30 – 11:15 Break
11:15 – 12:30 AGM of the General Anthroposophical Society
12:30 – 15:00 Midday break
15:00 – 18:30 AGM continues (with break)
18:30 – 20:00 Evening break
20:00 Memorial, with contributions from Ron Dunselman and Virginia Sease

Sunday, 28 March 2010

09:00 – 10:15 Reports on the work in the world-wide Society and the School of Spiritual Science.
10:15 – 11:00 Break
11:00 – 12:00 Group work on the Theme of the Year
12:10 – 12:30 Eurythmy to conclude the conference

Simultaneous interpretation into English and French will be available. We would point out that the Annual Conference is open only to members of the General Anthroposophical Society. We welcome you to this Annual Conference.

The Council and the College of the School of Spiritual Science at the Goetheanum

Oliver Conradt, Nikolai Fuchs, Michaela Gloeckler, Ursula Gruber, Johannes Kuehl, Paul Mackay, Cornelius Pietzner, Bodo v. Plato, Sergej Prokofieff, Martina Maria Sam, Virginia Sease, Margrethe Solstad, Christof Wiechert, Elizabeth Wirsching and Seija Zimmermann.’

Op de volgende bladzijde wordt het programma voor de jaarvergadering gespecificeerd:

‘Invitation to the Annual General Meeting (AGM) at the Goetheanum on 27 March 2010

Dear members

We invite you most warmly to the AGM of the General Anthroposophical Society which has its seat in Dornach (CH). The meeting is being called according to Art. 7, para. 1 of the Statutes.

This invitation, addressed to all members, is published in the official organ of the Society, as per Art. 14 in the Statutes.

The meeting will be held at the Goetheanum, Dornach, from 11:15 to not later than 18:30. The midday break will be from 12.30 to 15:00, the afternoon break from 16:15 to 17:00.

The agenda will be as follows:

1. Welcome and official opening
2. Report from the Council and discussion
3. Motion concerning Weleda participation (see below)
4. Presentation of annual accounts for 2009 and discussion
– Auditors’ report
– Approval of annual accounts for 2009
5. Release of the Council
6. Close of meeting

Admission to the AGM is only possible with pink membership card.
Simultaneous interpretation will be provided in English and French.
We welcome you to this AGM.

The Executive Council at the Goetheanum
Virginia Sease, Paul Mackay, Bodo v. Plato, Sergej Prokofieff, Cornelius Pietzner, Seija Zimmermann’

De volgende twee bladzijden geven algemene informatie over aanmeldingen en boekingen. De laatste twee echter zijn speciaal. Die gaan over een ‘Motion to the AGM of General Anthroposophical Society concerning Weleda participation’. Daarvoor moet ik mijn bericht op 12 februari in ‘Aandeel’ in herinnering roepen. Daar werden de achtergronden van deze motie uit de doeken gedaan. Helemaal aan het einde komt zij zelf ter sprake. Nu, in dit document, is zij ook in het Engels vertaald. Toegevoegd is de reactie van het bestuur op deze motie:

‘General Anthroposophical Society
Concerning Weleda participation
Motion to the AGM of General Anthroposophical Society

In their report for the year 2008 (on 4 April 2009) the Society’s Council referred to plans (intentions) of the Society and of the Ita Wegman Clinic to sell their shares, originating at the establishment of Weleda (1922) and going back to the insolvency of Der Kommende Tag, to a foundation that is to be established (see the interview in Nachrichtenblatt No. 14/09 of 4 April 2009). The Weleda shares had originally been subscribed by members of the Anthroposophical Society to provide financial help for the rescue and continuation of the anthroposophical pharmaceutical work entrusted to Weleda by Rudolf Steiner and Ita Wegman. The shares held by the Society and Ita Wegman Clinic also give them the majority of votes so that they have legal control of the firm. The sale of these shares – possibly to non-anthroposophical investors or commercial third parties – will affect the spiritual core of both the company and the Anthroposophical Society. Any decision relating to this must therefore be in accord with the informed will and intent of the membership; the Council would have to take this into account.

We propose that the AGM resolves that all changes which the Council wishes to make in the name of the General Anthroposophical Society with regard to the capital holdings of the Weleda company – especially regarding the potential sale of the existing participation – require a prior

AGM resolution.

The relevant resolution must be adequately explained at an information and discussion meeting exclusively devoted to the subject which must precede the meeting at which the vote is to be taken by at least three months, with relevant documents presented at the earlier meeting.

Mannheim/Stuttgart, 25 January 2010
Dr Benediktus Hardorp, Prof. Goetz W. Werner, Dr Juergen Schuerholz

The above proposal to the AGM of the General Anthroposophical Society on 27 and 28 March 2010 is supported by the undersigned:

Michel Barkhoff, Pforzheim
Elisabeth Bessau, Dornach
Sebastian Boegner, Berlin
Beate Dittmer, Dresden
Claus Dittmer, Dresden
Renate Eggink, Tangstedt
Angelika Funk, Dresden
Monika Funk, Dresden
Reinhard Funk, Lohmen
Christof Heitmann, Hanover
Rainer Kral, Stuttgart
Hans Georg Krauch, Frankfurt
Dr Erhard Kroener, Hanover
Dr Manfred Krueger, Nuremberg
Klaus Landmark, Bremen
Dr Hans Broder von Laue, Niefern-Oeschelbronn
Elke Elisabeth von Laue, Niefern-Oeschelbronn
Dr Siegfried Mohm, Coburg
Joseph Morel, Dornach
Dr Georg Mueller, Zurich
Adrian Plevan, Waldbronn-Reichenbach
Martina Plevan, Waldbronn-Reichenbach
Dr Walter Pohl, Heidelberg
Barbara Scheffler, Pforzheim
Dr Armin Scheffler, Pforzheim
Rolf Schnitzler, Westhofen
Trudlinde Schnitzler, Westhofen
Prof. Dr Ernst Schuberth, Mannheim
Peter Tradowsky, Berlin
Gisela Wieneke, Worms
Michael Wiesemueller, Dresden
Heinrich Will, Bad Nauheim

Views of the Executive Council on the motion concerning Weleda participation

Dear members,

We consider the motion to be a reflection of concern felt for the spiritual core and hence the identity of the Weleda company. As principal shareholders, the Ita Wegman Clinic and the General Anthroposophical Society together have about 80 % of votes due to owning Weleda voting shares. It is therefore their responsibility to protect the company’s identity. This is known as a “guardian function”. The Council of the Society is aware of this function. On the initiative of Weleda, talks started in 2004 on transferring that function to a foundation. The voting shares would be transferred to the foundation in the process. The method of transfer will need careful study and evaluation, since it concerns the firm’s identity.

One sentence in the motion shows that this has not been understood: “The sale of these shares – possibly to non-anthroposophical investors or commercial third parties – will affect the spiritual core of both the firm and the Anthroposophical Society.” We firmly reject the assumption made in the words given in parentheses. There is no question of selling the voting shares to non-anthroposophical investors or commercial third parties. In this point the motion relates to something which was not envisaged by anyone.

The motion itself refers not only to the transfer of voting shares but also to all changes concerning Weleda capital holdings, especially regarding the potential sale of the existing participation. We hold both voting and non-voting shares. The result of the proposal would therefore be that from now on the AGM would take on not only the guardian function but also all other responsibilities connected with the shareholdings.

If the proposal were to be adopted, an increase in Weleda’s capital, normally to be decided on at the company’s AGM, would need prior agreement from the AGM of the General Anthroposophical Society. Before calling a general meeting, the Weleda management would therefore first have to apply to the Council of the Society to call an extraordinary general meeting in order to let that general meeting decide how the Council should use its voting rights at the Weleda’s general meeting. This method is complicated and uncommon. It would limit the Weleda company’s ability to function as a business.

The proposal also is to have an obligatory information and discussion meeting three months prior to the general meeting. This would also limit Weleda’s ability to do effective business. In the example given, there would thus not only have to be a general meeting of the Society, but this would have to be preceded by an information and discussion meeting. This will not serve the interests of Weleda.

We are, of course, aware that decisions concerning voting shares in Weleda are an important matter, and therefore intend to keep the general meeting as fully informed as possible. We would like to see the motion in the above-mentioned terms and in that sense concur, yet we do not believe that its implementation will promote healthy development for the Weleda company.

Dornach, 9 February 2010
The Council at the Goetheanum
Virginia Sease, Paul Mackay, Bodo v. Plato, Sergej Prokofieff, Cornelius Pietzner, Seija Zimmermann’

Er valt natuurlijk veel over te zeggen. Dat zal ik nu niet doen. In ieder geval weet u nu, ook als u over een week niet daar in Dornach erbij bent, of als u zelf geen verenigingslid met stemrecht bent, waar ze zich dan mee bezig houden.