Article 1. Name
The name of organisation shall be the European Mineralogical Union (hereafter in this constitution referred to as the Union). It is established for an unlimited duration.
Article 2. Object
The object of the Union shall be to further European cooperation in the Mineralogical Sciences. To this end the activities of the Union shall include:
(a) the promotion of intercourse between mineralogists by
(i) sponsoring joint meetings and field excursions
(ii) involvement in publications of mineralogical interest.
(iii) sponsoring exchange programmes for students or research workers
(b) joint ventures with other international or national associations having mineralogical interests.
(c) such other activities consistent with the objects of the Union as the Council may decide.
Article 3. Membership
(a) The members of the Union shall be European Mineralogical Societies or other national associations representing mineralogists of individual European countries. In what follows the words Member Society shall mean every such Society or association being a member of the Union.
There shall be no more than one Member Society from any one country.
(b) Any application for membership shall be submitted to the Council which has the power of decision, and which shall assign the Group under which the Member Society may join, taking account of the following table.
n <100 100-250 251-500 501-1000 >1000
Suggested group A B C D E Group number 1 2 3 4 5
n = number of individual members of the Member Society resident in the country of that Society.
The Group to which a Member Society is assigned may be altered at any time by the Council having regard to any material change in the number n for that Society.
(c) Each Member Society shall appoint a Representative whose name and address, and any change in these particulars, shall be promptly notified by the Member Society to the Secretary of the Union. All communications addressed by the Union to the Member Society shall be directed to the Representative of the Society. It is the responsibility of the Representative to ensure that his Member Society is informed of such communications.
(d) The membership of any Member Society shall be terminated in the event of
(i) notice of resignation received from the Member Society
(ii) expulsion of a Member Society pronounced by the Council for sufficient reason.
Article 4. Administration
The business of Union shall be conducted (A) by the Council and
(B) by the Executive Committee.
A. The Council
The Council shall consist of Delegates of member societies, each Member Society being represented on the Council by a number of Delegates not exceeding its Group number as specified in Article 3 (b).
(a) Ordinary Council Meetings shall be held as often as the Executive Committee deems necessary, but at least once in every year. The time and place of the Meetings shall be determined by the Executive Committee. Notice of every Ordinary Council Meeting together with the agenda shall be communicated to Representatives as soon as possible and the Meeting shall take place not earlier than two months or later than six months after the giving of such notice.
(c) The voting rights of each Member Society shall be exercised by its Delegates. Each Member Society shall be allocated a number of votes equal to its group number.
(d) Voting at any election and on any motion for amendent of the Constitution or for dissolution of the Union shall be by ballot. Voting in respect of every other matter of the Council’s business shall be by show of hands, provided that every such vote shall be conducted by ballot if this is requested by any one of the Delegates present. Save as provided in Articles 7 and 8 all decisions shall be taken by a simple majority of votes of member societies cast by Delegates present and voting in accordance with this paragraph.
(e) No business shall be transacted at any Meeting of the Council unless there are present at least one Delegate from each of at least five Member Societies, and those present include at least two of the Executive Committee.
B. The Executive Committee
(a) The Executive Committee shall consist of the President, The Past President, the First and Second Vice-presidents, the Secretary and the Treasurer. Except for the Past President they shall be elected by the Council. The Past President is ex officio member of the Executive Committee.
(b) Each member of the Executive Committee may coopt any Delegate to fill any vacancy occurring in any such office in the period between Council Meetings, to hold Office until the next Council Meeting.
(c) The Executive Committee shall be responsible to the Council for the conduct of the affairs of the Union and shall have authory to carry on all business of the Union Between Meetings of the Council.
(d) The Executive Committee shall determine its own procedures.
(e) The Executive Committe is empowered to invite any person to attend a Council Meeting as an observer, who may speak but not vote.
Article 5. Finances
(a) Moneys received by the Union from member societies or from any other source shall be held in custody by the Treasurer who shall defray from this source the expenditure properly incurred with his authority in the conduct of their respective tasks by the members of the Executive Commitee. The Union is under no obligation to refund expenditure incurred without the sanction of the Treasurer.
(b) The Treasurer shall open and maintain a bank account which shall stand in the name of the Union and shall be operated only upon the signatures of any two members of the Executive Committee.
(c) The accounts of the Union shall be balanced at December 31 each year by the Treasurer, and shall be presented to the Council at its first Meeting thereafter. At that Meeting to Council shall appoint two Delegates to audit and report on the accounts submitted by the Treasurer.
(d) Each Member Society shall pay annual dues equal to its Group number multiplied by a unit which shall be fixed annually by the Council. These dues shall be paid in advance on 1 January each year.
(e) If any Member Society, being in default in payment of its dues for two successive years, fails to comply with a request for payment from the Treasurer, the Executive Committee shall be empowered to suspend the Society from membership of the Union.
(f) A Member Society so suspended shall be reinstated in the memhership of the Union and again assume the rights and duties of membership after having paid all outstanding dues.
Article 6. Domicile and Representation
(a) The legal domicile of the Union shall be in Paris, France.
(b) The official representative of the Union is the President or an individual appointed by the President.
(c) All contracts and agreements concluded by the Union shall require the signatures of any two members of the Executive Committee.
Article 7. Amendments
This constitution can be amended only by the Council. Amendments may be proposed by the Exetive Committee, or by any Representative whose proposal shall be received by the Secretary at least four months before the Council Meeting. Notice of any proposed amendment shall be communicated to the Representatives at least three months before the date of the Council Meeting.
Voting on any amendment shall be ballot and a two-thirds majority of the total votes exercisable by the Delegates present at the meeting shall be required to effect any change in the constitution.
Article 8. Dissolution of the Union
(a) The European Mineralogical Union can be dissolved only at an extraordinary Council Meeting called for the purpose in accordance with Article 4 A (b) above.
A motion to dissolve the Union shall be considered as carried only if in a vote by ballot the total number of votes cast amounts to at least three-quarters of the total of the votes allocated to the member societies and if the number of the votes cast in favour of dissolution amounts to at least tree-quarters of the total votes exercisable by the Delegates present at the meeting.
(b) In the event of dissolution of the Union, its property shall be disposed of as a gift to the member societies in proportion to the number of votes allocated to them.