Article 46
Name – Supervision – Headquarters – Privileges
1. The non-profit legal entity governed by private law under the name "Hellenic Foundation for Culture" is abolished and a legal entity governed by private law under the name "Hellenic Book and Culture Foundation" with the distinctive title "EL.I.VI.P" is established in its place. For international relations, the name is given in English as ‘Hellenic Foundation for Book and Culture’ and the distinctive title as ‘HFBBC’. For the purposes of this Law, that legal person governed by private law shall be referred to as the ‘Agency’.
2. The Organization is based in Psychiko, Attica, supervised by the Minister of Culture and operates in the public interest. The Agency shall have administrative and financial autonomy and shall enjoy administrative and judicial exemptions and exemptions, as well as procedural and substantive prerogatives of the State. As regards value added tax (VAT), the Value Added Tax Code (Law 2859/2000, Government Gazette, Series I, No 248) applies.
3. The name "Hellenic Book and Culture Foundation" may not be used as a name, trademark or otherwise by any third party.

Article 47
Aims of the Agency
1. The objectives of the Agency shall be the following:
the implementation of the national policy, as reflected in Article 1 of Law 2557/1997 (GG I 271) and formulated by the Ministry of Culture and the jointly competent Ministries, for the promotion of Greek letters in Greece and abroad and the promotion of the book as an educational, cultural and recreational medium;
cultivating reading practices in all population groups, with emphasis on children and adolescents, as well as vulnerable groups, through own actions, as well as through cooperation with jointly competent Ministries or through partnerships with domestic or foreign bodies;
the development and strengthening of the book sector in Greece, through own actions, as well as through partnerships with domestic or foreign bodies;
the promotion, dissemination and promotion of Greek letters and publications, as well as of the Greek book, as a means of education and entertainment and as a product of culture, both in Greece and abroad, through own actions, actions, programmes and exhibitions and through partnerships with domestic or foreign bodies;
the undertaking of actions to coordinate and develop synergies between domestic bodies active in the Greek book sector on issues relating to the entire ecosystem and the chain of production, distribution and marketing of the book, in particular authors, illustrators, translators, publishers, booksellers, libraries;
the management, operation and development of the database of the Greek book production "BIBLIONET" (www.biblionet.gr), which includes at least title, author data, publishing house data, year of publication, original language, number of pages, International Unique Book Number (ISBN) and price, as well as, more broadly, the development, operation and coordination of interoperable databases of systems, data, statistics, digital and audiovisual archives and catalogues related to the book, the book chain and the professionals of the Greek book industry and their exploitation for the benefit of the industry;
the development of skills of professionals in the Greek book industry,
the operation and further development of the programme for the grant of translations into foreign languages, of works already published in the Greek language (GreekLit) and of the website www.GreekLit.gr;
the coordination of the jointly competent Ministries with regard to the undertaking of actions relating to the book, the publishing sector, libraries and the wider field of letters;
cultivating the acquaintance and approach of Greek culture abroad, the wider knowledge of the Greek contribution to letters, sciences and the arts and to cultural creation in general;
the dissemination and promotion of the Greek language and the care for the cultivation of the Greek language in the Hellenism of the diaspora,
strengthening cultural, educational and scientific cooperation with other countries;
to contribute to the cultivation and utilization of intercultural and multicultural relations, with the aim of developing creative dialogue between peoples for their mutual understanding and their creative and peaceful coexistence; and
any other action aimed at the promotion, promotion and promotion of Greek letters and books and the support of professionals in the Greek book industry.
2. In order to achieve the objectives referred to in paragraph 1, the Agency shall use all appropriate means, in particular:
cooperates with the supervising Ministry of Culture, as well as with the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, National Economy and Finance, Education, Religious Affairs and Sports and the Interior, and with public sector bodies as defined in Article 14(1)(a) of Law 4270/2014 (GG I 143), cultural organisations, bodies of the European Union, international organisations and any other body in Greece or abroad that operates in areas related to its objectives and can contribute to their promotion;
develop relations with other member countries of the European Union, as well as with third countries for cooperation on book issues and ensure the country's active participation in European Union programmes and international organisations;
undertakes actions, coordinates and promotes cooperation with domestic or foreign institutions active in fields related to the book and Greek letters, including libraries, publishing houses, bookstores, authors, translators, editors, illustrators and chairs of Modern Greek studies in Greece and abroad;
d) formulate and implement readership programs and campaigns in cooperation with jointly competent bodies, including relevant programs targeted at primary and secondary education in cooperation with the Ministry of Education, Religious Affairs and Sports;
designs and provides mobility opportunities through residency programs for authors, translators and other book professionals and supports other forms of mobility of Greek book professionals abroad;
organizes and participates in international book fairs and promotes the Greek book by any appropriate means, physical or digital;
design and implement funding programmes and calls linked to the reinforcement of part or all of the book chain;
designs, organizes and implements educational and training programs, as well as training programs for writers, translators, employees of publishing houses, booksellers and other professionals of the Greek book industry;
conducts and publishes research and studies on book production, reading practices and behaviours, book production, distribution and distribution, the statistical and economic data of the book industry and any other matter relating to the book chain;
Supports or funds cultural and educational activities, develops scholarship and exchange programs and organizes programs for the teaching of the Greek language and the dissemination of Greek culture;
produces and manages cultural works and audiovisual material that promote the realisation of its objectives;
publish collective volumes, printed and non-statistical data of bibliological interest;
organises a library of a bibliological nature and an electronic network linking the National Library, public and municipal libraries, information networks with corresponding material, publishing houses and bookshops;
create an audio-visual archive of writers for the collection and classification of printed and electronic audio-visual material that already exists and is scattered, as well as new material, in order to create a bank of audio-visual material of Greek writers.

Article 48
Resources – revenue
The Agency's resources are:
a) the annual grant from the regular budget of the Ministry of Culture and the national or co-financed part of the Public Investment Programme;
funding by other public or private bodies for specific actions or funding by the European Union and international organisations;
(c)gratuitous benefits;
revenue from the provision of its services to the State, to legal persons governed by public or private law and to private persons;
revenue from grants of any kind;
revenue from contracts relating to the promotion of its purpose, the provision of services, the exploitation of the products it produces, tickets and sales;
g) income from the exploitation and exploitation of assets, movable and immovable, such as the lease and operation of a shop, bar and other premises;
revenue from the organisation of events and the development of activities related to its purposes;
revenue from sales of artistic goods produced, from the management and promotion of producers and from the supervision of producers abroad;
revenue from any other lawful source, made in pursuit of the purposes of the entity.

Article 49
Administrative bodies
The Management Bodies of the Agency are: a) the Board of Directors and b) the Chairman of the Board of Directors.

Article 50
Establishment and term of office of the Board of Directors
1. The Board of Directors (BoD) of the Organization consists of eleven (11) members. Its members shall be appointed for a renewable term of four (4) years by decision of the supervising Minister, which shall be published in the Government Gazette. If for any reason the decision of this Decision is not issued, the term of office of the members shall be extended until the appointment of the members of the new Board of Directors and in any case for a period of no more than three (3) months.
2.The President and the Vice-President of the Management Board shall be selected in accordance with the procedures laid down in Part A of Law 5062/2023 (Government Gazette, Series I, No 183) on the selection of administrations in the public sector.
The remaining nine (9) members of the Board of Directors are selected as follows:
a) three (3) members are selected by the supervising Minister from among persons of recognized prestige in the field of arts, letters and sciences, lawyers and economists;
b) one (1) member is nominated by the Minister of Education, Religious Affairs and Sports,
c) one (1) member is nominated by the Minister of Foreign Affairs;
d) one (1) member is nominated by the National Library of Greece,
e) one (1) member is nominated by the professional bodies of the publishers,
one (1) member shall be nominated by the professional bodies of the authors and translators; and
g) one (1) member is indicated by the professional bodies of booksellers.
4. The members of the Board of Directors referred to in points (b) to (g) of paragraph 2 shall be nominated by the competent bodies within seven (7) days of receiving a written invitation from the competent body of the Ministry of Culture. In the event of failure to respond to the invitation referred to in the first subparagraph within the prescribed period, the supervising Minister may appoint persons of his choice as members of the Board of Directors.
5. If a member of the Board of Directors is absent from meetings or is prevented for any reason for more than three (3) months, he/she shall be automatically forfeited and replaced by decision of the supervising Minister.
6. If for any reason one (1) or more positions of members of the Board of Directors are vacant, they shall be filled for the remainder of the term of office of the Board of Directors. Until they are filled, the Board of Directors meets legally and decides validly, but not more than three (3) months, and provided that the number of its members has not decreased below five (5).
7. The term of office of the members of the Board of Directors shall be extended by decision of the supervising Minister after its expiry until new members are appointed, but not beyond one quarter.
8. The Secretary of the Board of Directors and his alternate shall be selected from among the employees of the Organization and shall be appointed by decision of the Chairman of the Board of Directors.

Article 51
Responsibilities of the Board of Directors
1. The Chairman of the Board of Directors (BoD) or, in the event of his absence or impediment, the Vice-Chairman, represents the Organization judicially and extrajudicially, convenes the BoD, prepares the agenda and presides over its meetings.
2. The Board of Directors is responsible for all matters relating to the administration, organization and operation, as well as the management of the property of the Organization and takes all appropriate measures and decisions for the realization of its objectives.
3. The responsibilities of the Board of Directors include in particular:
approval of the annual programming of the Agency's actions, submitted in accordance with Article 53(1)(c);
b) the decision to conclude programmatic cultural development contracts, memoranda of cooperation and any contract necessary to establish rights or enter into contractual obligations of the Organization, unless otherwise specified herein;
the acceptance of donations, inheritances, bequests, trusts or sponsorships;
the adoption of the Agency's annual budget, balance sheet and report and annual activity report;
submitting to the supervising Minister for adoption a draft of the Agency's internal rules of procedure;
the approval of scholarship, grant, grant, funding or co-financing programmes for the achievement of the objectives of the Organization, on the recommendation of its President;
g) the continuous and uninterrupted operation of the GreekLit Translation Grant Program and the care for its improvement and development;
the approval of actions and programmes falling within the objectives of the Agency other than those referred to in points (a) to (g);
the second-instance disciplinary authority over all Agency staff;
the allocation of staff to the administrative units of the Agency.
4. The Board of Directors shall submit through its Chairman to the supervising Minister an annual report on the activities and objectives of the Organization.

Article 52
Convening and operation of the Board of Directors
1. The Board of Directors (BoD) of the Organization meets, in physical presence at its headquarters or using electronic means (teleconference), at the invitation of its President, regularly at least once a month and extraordinarily every time it is deemed necessary. The convening of the Board of Directors in an extraordinary meeting is mandatory for the Chairman of the Board of Directors, if a relevant request is submitted by at least five (5) members of the Board of Directors. The request referred to in the second subparagraph shall indicate the matter to be discussed. The request shall be submitted in writing to the Chairman of the Board of Directors, who shall convene the Board of Directors in an extraordinary meeting within three (3) working days.
2. The President shall determine the day and time of the meeting and shall invite the members. The invitation, which includes the agenda, shall be in writing and shall be communicated by the Secretary of the Board of Directors to the members of the Board of Directors forty-eight (48) hours before the meeting. Such notification may also be made by electronic means, including e-mail.
3. The Board of Directors is in quorum and meets legally, provided that the President participates in the meeting, or, in the event of his absence or impediment, the Vice-President and at least five (5) members. It is not allowed to represent a member of the Board of Directors at its meetings.
4. Only items on the agenda shall be discussed at the meeting. Exceptionally, items not on the agenda may be discussed at the meeting if all members are present and agree to discuss them.
5. The Chairman of the Board of Directors is the rapporteur for the items on the agenda, who may appoint as rapporteur the Vice-President or another member of the Board of Directors or a head of an organisational unit or an employee of the Organization, if this is a matter of which he is aware due to his position. Written contributions and, where available, accompanying documents, shall be communicated electronically to members at least twenty-four (24) hours before the meeting.
6. The meetings of the Board are attended by the secretary, or his deputy, who is responsible for keeping minutes, as well as the lawyer with salaried mandate of the Independent Office of the Legal Service of the Organization.
7. The decisions of the Board of Directors shall be taken by an absolute majority of the members present. In the event of a tie, the President shall have the casting vote. Decisions shall be recorded in a record drawn up by the Registrar and authenticated by the President-in-Office.
8. Articles 13 to 15 of the Code of Administrative Procedure (Law 2690/1999, Government Gazette, Series I, No 45) shall apply mutatis mutandis to any other matter relating to meetings and decision-making of the Board of Directors.

Article 53
Chairman of the Board of Directors
1. The President of the Board of Directors (BoD) is full-time and exclusive and has the following responsibilities:
a) chair the meetings of the Board of Directors of the Organization;
(b)represents the Organization in court and out of court;
c) submit to the Board of Directors for approval the annual planning of actions of the Organization, which it plans, in cooperation with the competent services, the annual activity report and the report of its work, as well as proposals and recommendations for the implementation of the objectives of the Organization;
d) submit to the Board of Directors proposals, suggestions and documents required for the planning and implementation of the work of the Organization;
e) recommend to the Board of Directors the rules of procedure of organization and operation, the annual budget for the observance of which he is responsible, any matter related to staff, as well as projects funded by national or co-financed resources,
take the necessary measures and ensure the implementation of the decisions of the Board of Directors and the overall work of the Organization, assisted by its competent services;
head the Agency's departments and direct their work;
h) sign all expenses incurred and initiate all bank accounts held by the Agency;
i) concludes, signs and executes any contract approved by the Board of Directors;
j) sign any contract and any other relevant document regarding the recruitment and dismissal of staff and the conclusion or termination of contracts of associates and lawyers of the Organization, after approval of the Board.
be the disciplinary head of all staff of the Agency;
be responsible for the preparation, organisation and execution of all events in cooperation with the competent services of the Agency;
be responsible for finding resources in cooperation with the competent services;
formulate and prepare draft programmes, grants and funding, which it recommends to the Board of Directors for approval;
sign protocols of cooperation with third parties and agreements relating to the policy and strategic objectives of the Organization, after approval of the Board;
approve and adopt any financing or incentive operation for beneficiaries of programmes of the Agency; and
exercise any other power expressly conferred on him by this or other laws and exercise the powers transferred to him by decision of the Board of Directors.
2. The President of the Foundation may, by decision, in the event of his/her absence or impediment, delegate all or part of his/her responsibilities to the Vice-President or another member of the Board of Directors, having the possibility to determine that he/she continues to exercise at the same time the transferred responsibilities, as well as to authorize the above bodies to sign, by order, acts or other documents of his/her competence. That decision shall be freely revocable in respect of all or part of the powers delegated.

Article 54
Impediments and incompatibilities of the members of the Board of Directors
1. The members of the Management Board may not, on pain of nullity of the relevant contract, enter into a contract with the Agency. The same prohibition shall apply to spouses or cohabitants, within the meaning of Law 4356/2015 (Government Gazette, Series I, No 181), of members of the Board of Directors, as well as to their relatives, by blood up to the third degree and by marriage up to the second degree.
2. Any contract concluded between the Organization and legal persons whose management is directly or indirectly controlled by the members of the Board of Directors shall be void. The control referred to in the first subparagraph shall derive from rights, contracts or any other means which, either individually or in combination and having regard to the considerations of fact or law involved, confer the possibility of exercising decisive influence on the activity of an undertaking, and in particular from: rights of ownership or usufruct over all or part of the assets of the undertaking; and (b) rights or contracts which confer a decisive influence on the decisions of the organs of an undertaking. Control shall be acquired by the person(s) or undertaking(s) who: they are the holders of those rights or the beneficiaries of those contracts; or (b) without being the holders of those rights or the beneficiaries of those contracts, they are entitled to exercise the rights arising from those contracts.
3. In any event, Chapter A of Part D of Law 4622/2019 (GG I 133) on obstacles, incompatibilities and rules to avoid conflicts of interest shall apply in addition.

Article 55
Staffing – Staff issues
1. Twenty-two (22) posts of private law of indefinite duration, full-time and exclusive employment, one (1) post of lawyer with salaried mandate and one (1) post of legal advisor shall be established at the Organisation.
2. The allocation of staff posts by employment relationship, category, branch and specialisation shall be determined by the Agency’s rules of procedure.
3. Staff posts shall be filled by decision of the Management Board, following a recommendation from the President, in accordance with Law 4765/2021 (Government Gazette, Series I, No 6) and Article 51 of Law 4622/2019 (Government Gazette, Series I, No 133), on annual recruitment planning. To meet urgent, seasonal or unforeseen needs, staff may be recruited under a fixed-term private-law employment contract in accordance with Law 4765/2021 and Article 51 of Law 4622/2019 on annual recruitment planning.
4. For the implementation of programmes financed or co-financed by Union funds, the Agency may employ staff under a project lease contract, in accordance with Article 6 of Law 2527/1997 (Government Gazette, Series I, No 206).
5. In order to meet needs of a specialised or technical nature, the project or service concerned may, by decision of the Management Board, following a recommendation from the Head of the Department of Administrative and Financial Services, be awarded to a contractor or service provider, in accordance with Law 4412/2016 (GG I 147).
6. Qualifications for the recruitment of staff under a private-law employment relationship shall be determined in accordance with Presidential Decree 85/2022 (GG I 232).
7. Staff serving at the Hellenic Foundation for Culture shall continue to serve at the Organisation with the same employment relationship and shall occupy the positions referred to in paragraph 1 in categories, branches and specialisations corresponding to their qualifications, by decision of the Board of Directors.

Article 56
Administrative structure
The Agency shall consist of one (1) Directorate, three (3) Departments and one (1) Independent Office as follows:
A. Book Directorate, which includes the following two (2) departments and two (2) offices: a. Department for the Promotion of Greek Letters and Publications, b. Department for Research, Publications and Skills Development, c. GreekLit Office, d. Booknet Office,
B. Department of Foreign and Greek Language Branches,
C. Department of Administrative and Financial Services,
D. Department of Development and Communication,
E. Independent Office of the Legal Service.

Article 57
Annexes
The Agency may set up branches abroad, as well as local committees to support their activities. The Annexes may take the legal form and nature provided for by the legal status of the host countries. Directors of the Branches are appointed Greeks or foreigners who have knowledge and experience in matters related to the purposes of the Organization. The position of Director may also be held by educational advisors or educational attachés. The Annexes of the Organization shall cooperate with the Greek diplomatic authorities of their place of establishment, which shall provide them with the necessary support.

Article 58
Translation Grant Program (GreekLit)
1. The Agency shall, in compliance with State aid rules, subsidise the translation into foreign languages of speech works written in Greek which have already been published, in accordance with the terms of the applicable grant scheme regulation referred to in Article 89(5). Beneficiaries of the grant program are domestic or foreign legal entities governed by public and private law, whether for profit or not, such as universities, educational institutions and publishing companies.
2. The Agency shall subsidise the translation into foreign languages of an extract (sample) of speech works written in Greek which have already been published, in accordance with the terms of the applicable Grant Programme Regulation referred to in Article 89(5). Beneficiaries of the grant program are domestic or foreign legal entities of public and private law, whether profit-making or not, such as universities, educational institutions, and publishing companies.
3. An already issued speech work within the meaning of paragraphs 1 and 2 shall mean any speech work that has an International Unique Book Number (ISBN) and has been placed on the market.
4. The costs of the grants referred to in paragraphs 1 and 2 shall be covered by the resources referred to in Article 48.

Article 59
Management use
1. The Agency's management year shall begin on 1 January of each year and end on 31 December of the same year.
2. The annual financial statements are prepared by the Board of Directors of the Organization in cooperation with the Department of Administrative and Financial Services, in accordance with the applicable Accounting Standards, by July 10 of the following year.
3. For each financial year, the Board of Directors of the Organization shall draw up an activity report, which shall accompany the financial statements referred to in paragraph 2.
4. The annual financial statements and the activity report shall be approved by the supervising Minister. They shall therefore be submitted to it, together with the report of the statutory auditors referred to in Article 60, by 31 July of the following year.
5. Once approved, the annual financial statements and the activity report, together with the report of the statutory auditors referred to in Article 60, shall be posted on the Agency’s website for at least five (5) years.

Article 60
Audit of financial management
1. The financial statements of each financial year of the Organisation shall be audited by statutory auditors in accordance with Law 4449/2017 (Government Gazette, Series I, No 7), who shall be appointed by decision of the supervising Minister. The remuneration of chartered accountants shall be charged to the budget of the Agency.
2. The audit of the financial statements for each financial year shall be completed by 31 July of the following year.