statuts

Constitution of the NGO

Association Pour les Universités Rurales Européennes Rural European Universities Association

Chapter I

Constitution – Mission – Composition of the Association

Article One:

a) It is created, with no limits in time, by the legal persons and individuals who adhere to the present constitution, an association devoid of lucrative ends, ruled by the law of the 1st July 1901, having for denomination: Rural European Universities Association – APURE.

b) At the request of its members, APURE can open country, regional or regional groupings sections, authorized and recognized by the “Bureau”, and its representatives will be part of the Board of Administration of APURE.
Article Two: Mission of the Association.

The main mission of the Association is to contribute, within the framework of the principles defined by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), to the development of a network of rural environment actors, assembled mainly during the sessions of the “European Agricultural Universities – UREs”. Its aims and ambition had been stated and imposed in the contexts the dynamics of its action. The Association aims are:

a) to support an euronet of popular education, acting in concert with the rural persons who wish it, to produce and spread new knowledge related to the rural world and the specific questions of its development.

b) to contribute with third parties to the collective education of the development actors, through the exchange and “intersection” of theoretical knowledge issued from “University departments” and practical knowledge issued from experience and 

c) Valorise the knowledge and the cultural values of rural zones, in order to turn them, everywhere, into the main handspike of integrated and global development processes of territories and of the economic and social challenges they have to face.

d) to develop new solidarities within the rural world and between cities and rural villages.

e) to contribute to facilitate and to deepen the relationship between university centres, research structures and actors in the rural world, to unpin them in the domains of the research-innovation and new technologies.

f) to co-ordinate, and to foster initiatives allowing facilitating the reunion of the actors, the exchanges of good practices, ‘forums’ and platforms of reflection and action, in between the Biennial sessions of the URE.

g) to assist in the creation, in all places where APURE is present, of cells devoted to the teaching of methods of popular education and technical support at the service of the Associations, the local elected, the public actors, social and economic, in order to strengthen the ability of all.

In order to contribute to create the conditions to promote the rural values in our societies, to help to redefine its role and to assure that, everywhere, the rural individuals, in its own territories, be full actors and actresses, capable of facing the challenges of the development and of implying themselves in dynamics leading to a new foundation of rural values alive and durable, capable of articulating production of wealth and solidarity.

Article Three: The Association headquarters are located:

Université de Provence, Institut de Géographie,

29 Avenue Robert Shuman, 13621 Aix-en-Provence Cédex 1

And can be dislocated, inside the French territory, by decision of the Board of Administration.

Article Four: The Association is composed by two “colleges”:

• The college formed by all physical or individual persons who adhere to the Association.
  

• The college of all the legal entities, representative of organisms and Associations adherent to the aims of APURE and contributing to its activities.

The quality of member, for both colleges, is acquired by application to the Board of Administration, as stipulated in articles 7 and 8 of this constitution.

The quality of member is lost when:

• The conditions of adhesion are not respected.
  

• In result of suspension by the Board of Administration, for reasons deemed serious for the prestige or image of the Association, followed or not of expulsion decided by the GA, after previous hearing of the interested party.
  

• By resignation.
  
  

Article Five: Membership fees.

The membership fee is fixed annually by the GA under proposal of the Board of Administration. All the members are liable to pay it during the month of January of each year. The fee must be paid up-to-date to participate and vote, in person or by mail, in the General Assemblies.

Chapter II

Organization and Operation

Article Six: Bodies

The bodies of the Association are:

• The General Assembly
  

• The Board of Administration
  

• The “Bureau” (executive direction?)

Article Seven: The Board of Administration

7.1 Composition

The Board of Administration is composed by a minimum of 11 members elected by the General Assembly among the members of the two colleges, plus the representatives of the national and or regional sections, recognized by the “Bureau”, in accordance with the first article of these constitution.

7.2 Term of office.

The term of office is six years counting from the day of the election, with the possibility of renewal of one third of the Board of Administration every two years. The members can be re-elected.

7.3 Operation.

The Board of Administration is empowered with the largest powers, within the limits put by the mission of the Association and the resolutions adopted by the General Assembly, namely:

a) Elects, from amongst its members: the President, the Vice-Presidents, a Secretary-General and a Treasurer and, according to necessities, persons to other offices and functions

b) Elects the “Bureau” (executive direction)

c) Is responsible for the organization of all the events with “label” APURE

d) Decides the admission and framing of technicians and/or people in charge of missions that are called to contribute to the actualization of the aims of the Association. 

e) Fixes the time and place of General Assemblies convoked by the President

f) Decisions are taken by majority of the members present and duly represented

g) To be valid, its decisions need the participation of, at least, one third of the members

h) Meets, summoned by the President, whenever the interest of the Association demands it.

i) Meets also at the written application of, at least, one fourth of its members. The application must be addressed to the President.

j) The Board is normally chaired by the President, who has a casting vote if the votes are tied up. When, in case of impediment of the President, the meeting is chaired by a Vice-President this one has the powers which have been delegated by the President

k) The members of the “Council of technical assistance” can participate in the meetings of the B. A. with right to opinion, but not the right to vote.

i) Confirms the adhesion of new members.

m) Confirms or not the suspension of members proposed by the “Bureau” and proposes the expulsion to the GA.

n) Has the right of creating, if necessary, an internal regulation that must be approved in GA and will be, therefore, a constituent part of the present constitution.

7.4 Powers

Each member present cannot represent more than two absent members.

7.5 Committee or “Council of technical assistance”

It may be created a “Comité d’expertise” or “Council of technical assistance”, with consulting status, to assist the Board of Administration in scientific matters, composed by members of the Association and external personalities, all nominated by the B. A.

Article Eight: (Bureau) “executive Direction commission”.

8.1 Composition.

The “Executive Direction” is elected by the Board of Administration from amongst its own members, to assure the normal operation of the Association and to guarantee the execution of the decisions annually approved by the General Assembly. 

It has a minimum of 7 members, namely:

• The President and the Vice-presidents of the Board of Administration, the Secretary-General and the Treasurer. The President, as President of the Association, manages the operation and guarantees the regular functioning of the Association, representing it in courts and all the acts of the civil life.
  

• An Administrative Secretary
  

• And other officers, according to the needs determined by the B. A.
  

8.2 Decision system

a) All decisions that exceed the current management, not resulting of the application of the decisions of the B. A. and/or the GA, are taken by the vote of the simple majority of its members.

b) The Executive Direction decides all the applications for membership by a qualified majority of 2/3, with the possibility of appeal for the General Assembly.
Article Nine: The General Assembly

9.1 Definition

The General Assembly of associates is the top body of the Association, source of all powers of guidance and management of its activity, and can be ordinary or extraordinary.

9.2 The GA:

a) Votes the reports presented by the B. A. about the operation of the Association and its financial and moral situation in the preceding year

b) Approves the accounts of the preceding financial years, votes the plan of activities and the budget of the following financial year and deliberates on all the questions admitted to the agenda of the meeting.

c) Elects the members of the Board of Administration, subject to the conditions established in article 7.

9.3 Meetings and Operation:

The General Assembly meets, when it is possible, once every year summoned by the President of the Association and, with character mandatory, once every two years, during the sessions of the European Rural Universities. It can also be summoned by written application of, at least, half of the members of the B. A.

b) All the summons must be made 15 days in advance, at least, and must contain the respective agenda.

c) The associates may request modifications and/or additions to the agenda during the eight days following the reception of the summons.

d) The Executive Direction is responsible for the topics of the final agenda.

e) The Associates unable to participate in the General Assembly, can resort to the following alternatives:

• Delegate its powers of voting, in writing, in another member participating in the Assembly.
  

• Vote by fax or “e-mail”, addressed to the President up to 48 hours before the beginning of the Assembly, with request for confirmation of the reception.
  

f) Each member of the Assembly cannot represent more than two delegations of vote.

g) The decisions are taken by the majority of the members present and represented: absolute majority in first voting, relative majority in the second voting.

h) The proceedings of the Assembly are chaired by the President of the Association and the Secretary-general is responsible for the recordings of the proceedings.

9.4 Extraordinary General Assembly:

a) The Extraordinary General Assembly is convoked by simple decision of the B. A. or at the request of two thirds of the members of the Association with its membership fees paid up-to-date.

b) The resolutions can only be approved if half of the members of the Association, at least, are present or represented. If this quorum is not reached, a second summons has to be made within 15 days, and the Assembly can then deliberate with any number of associates present or represented.

Only the Extraordinary General Assembly decides:

• On the modification of the constitution of the Association
  

• On the dissolution of the Association
  

• On all the subjects whose nature justifies its convocation

9.5 Modification of the Constitution.

The Constitution can only be modified by decision of the Board of Administration, who summons, to that effect, an Extraordinary Assembly in terms described in article 9.4

9.6 Groups of communication and virtual meetings

Considering the great geographic dissemination of the members of the Association, the costs of the meetings and the difficulties of organization, the new technologies of communication must be used to make to distribute the information and to carry out virtual meetings.

Chapter III

Management and resources of the Association

Article Ten: resources of the Association.

The resources of the Association include:

• The sum of the fees paid by the associates:
  

• Subventions of the European Commission, the member States of the U.E., territorial collective entities, Public Entities and Private Institutions.
  

• The product of its own activities.
  

• Funds created, exceptionally, by the competent authorities, for support and incentives
  

• All the funds of national, European or international origin, authorized by law
  

Article Eleven: Expenditures

a) The Board of Administration authorizes the opening of bank accounts where necessary, and decides on all the applications of resources, contracting loans and attribution of subventions:

b) The President and the Treasurer are authorized by the Board of Administration to perform all purchasing, selling and/or investment deemed necessary, of the assets pertaining to the Association and to sign the contracts necessary to the pursuing of the aims of APURE.

c) The Board of Administration must provide annually a report of activity and accounts, verified by a professional accountant, and present it to the General Assembly for analysis and approval.

d) The Board of Administration can, for the purpose mentioned in the previous paragraph, delegate its attributions, in all or part, in the Executive Direction, in some of its members or in wage-earners.

e) The members of the Association cannot receive a compensation for the functions for which they have been elected. The reimbursements of travel, mission and operation expenses can be made by the Executive Direction with the presentation of justifying documents

Article Twelve: Dissolution

a) The dissolution of the Association can be proposed in the same conditions of the modification of the constitution, specified in article 9.5. However, its approval requires a majority of two thirds of the members present.

b) In case of dissolution, the Extraordinary General Assembly appoints one or more commissioners responsible for the liquidation of the assets of the Association in benefit of another Association pursuing the same aims.