Statutes of the “Société Française de la Neutronique” Association
Article 1: An association governed by the law of 1st July 1901 and the decree of 16th August 1901 is hereby founded between the members of the present articles of association, under the title: Société Francaise de la Neutronique.
Article 2: The aims of this association are:
- to constitute an association representing the French community of neutron scientists and neutron users, independent of the supervisory bodies, in order to be the interlocutor of these bodies in the discussion of strategic choices;
- to represent the French community to its international partners and as an interlocutor with the European Community;
- to help structure the French community by disseminating information to optimise choices and stimulate the use of neutronics;
- to provide support for the implementation of training initiatives (specialised schools, continuing education initiatives);
- to organise the scientific part of the Journées de la Neutronique, and to collaborate with the Comité Français de la Neutronique and the managers of the neutron centres to implement the part of these Journées devoted to information and discussion on the operation of these centres;
- to ensure the necessary contacts with the community of synchrotron radiation users.
Article 3: The registered office is at the Secretary’s.
Article 4: The association is made up of honorary members, benefactor members and active members.
Article 5: In order to join the Association, members must be approved by the Executive Committee, which decides on applications for admission at each of its meetings.
Article 6: Members
- Honorary members are those who have rendered outstanding services to the association; they are exempt from paying membership fees;
- Benefactor members are those who pay an entrance fee set each year by the General Meeting;
- active members are those who have undertaken to pay an annual subscription.
Article 7: Termination of membership
Membership is lost by: a) Resignation, b) Death, c) Removal from the register by the Board of Directors for failure to comply with the internal regulations, the person concerned having been invited by registered letter with acknowledgement of receipt to appear before the Executive Committee to provide explanations. Non-payment of membership fees, recorded one month after a reminder has been sent by registered letter with acknowledgement of receipt, shall be deemed equivalent to resignation.
Article 8: The Association’s resources comprise :
- Entry fees and annual subscriptions;
- State, regional, departmental and municipal subsidies;
- Donations from individuals and legal entities.
Article 9: The Association is managed by a Board of Directors elected for three years by the General Meeting. Members may be re-elected. The Board of Directors comprises :
- three people attached to the Léon Brillouin laboratory or one of its instruments (A members);
- three people attached to the Institut Laue Langevin or its CRG’s (B members);
- five neutron users from outside the above centres (C members).
The Board of Directors chooses from among its members, by secret ballot, an executive made up of: a chairman, who must be one of the external users, possibly a vice-chairman, a secretary and a treasurer.
One third of the Board is renewed each year. For the first two years, the outgoing members – one “A” member, one “B” member and two “C” members – are chosen by lot. In the event of a vacancy, the Board temporarily replaces its members. They are replaced definitively at the next General Meeting. The powers of the members thus elected end at the time when the term of office of the replaced members would normally expire.
Article 10: Meetings of the Board of Directors
The Board of Directors shall meet at least once every six months at the call of the Chairman or at the request of one quarter of its members. Decisions are taken by majority vote; in the event of a tie, the Chairman has the casting vote. Any member of the Board who, without excuse, fails to attend three consecutive meetings may be deemed to have resigned. No one under the age of majority may be a member of the Board.
Article 11: General Meeting
The General Meeting meets once a year. The Chairman, assisted by the members of the Board of Directors, chairs the meeting and reports on the Association’s moral situation. The treasurer reports on his management and submits the balance sheet to the meeting for approval. After the agenda has been completed, outgoing Board members are replaced by secret ballot. Only matters on the agenda may be discussed at the General Meeting.
Article 12: Internal regulations are drawn up by the Board of Directors and approved by the General Meeting. These rules are intended to set out the various points not covered by the Articles of Association, in particular those relating to the internal administration of the association.
Article 13: In the event of dissolution decided by at least two thirds of the members present at the General Meeting, one or more liquidators shall be appointed by the General Meeting and the assets, if any, shall be dissolved in accordance with Article 9 of the Law of 1 July 1901 or the Decree of 16 August 1901.
Charnècles, 14 January 1999
Note: The association was registered under number 23233 on 18 January 1995 at the Grenoble prefecture.