RENEB

Running the European Network of
Biological Dosimetry and Retrospective Physical Dosimetry
Articles of Association

Article 1

Name, seat, business year

(1) The name of the Association is “Running the European Network of biological dosimetry and retrospective physical dosimetry” (referred to as “RENEB” or “the Association”).
(2) The Association will be entered into the Register of Associations (Vereinsregister) and when registered the name will be given the additional element “e.V.”.
(3) The Association and its Office are seated in Salzgitter (address), Germany.
The seat may be transferred to any other location in Germany by decision of the Council, subject to ratification by the General Assembly.
(4) The business year of the Association corresponds to the calendar year.
(5) The language used by the Association is English. The Office translates all documents with relevance for the Register of Associations and the revenue authorities into German.
(6) The Association is governed by the laws of Germany.
(7) The Association serves directly and exclusively public-benefit purposes within the meaning of the chapter “tax-privileged purposes” of the Fiscal Code of Germany.

Article 2

Objects of the Association

(1) RENEB has the following objectives:
(a) the advancement of science and research;

(b) the advancement of fire prevention, occupational health and safety, disaster control and civil defense as well as of accident prevention.
The Association achieves its objectives in particular through:
(a) facilitating mutual assistance in national and trans-national individualized dose assess- ment in case of radiological/nuclear emergency by maintaining, strengthening and expanding the network;
(b) promoting the quality assurance of existing markers of exposure for emergency preparedness and research;
(c) identifying needs for further research and development and communicate new and emerging challenges in individualized dosimetry with emphasis on large scale scenar- ios;
(d) assuring the high-level expertise of laboratories and decision making organizations;
(e) making – in compliance with its internal rules and third parties rights – the main re- sults of its activities available to policy makers and stakeholders including the public;

(f) communicating the activities and findings of the Association to responsible national agencies, involved in disaster control (emergency preparedness and response), indus- trial and medical application of ionising radiation.

(2) The Association acts altruistically; it does not pursue primarily its own economic purpose.
(3) The funds of the Association may be used only for the purposes set out in the statutes. Members may not receive allocations from the funds of the Association.
(4) The Association may not provide a benefit for any person by means of expenditure unre- lated to the purpose of the Association or disproportionately high remuneration.
(5) Voluntarily acting persons may request only a reimbursement for verified expenditures.

Article 3

Membership

(1) Membership is open to natural and legal persons dealing with individualized dose reconstruction for emergency preparedness or scientific research (e.g. national and local authorities, research institutes, universities, hospitals, support organizations).

(2) RENEB is composed of the following membership categories:
(a) Voting members;
(b) Associate members;
(c) Honorary members;
(d) Supporting members.

(3) Voting members are legal persons dealing with individualized dose reconstruction for emergency preparedness or scientific research.
Voting members will nominate a permanent representative (delegate) who shall be an ac- tive employee of the voting member and who shall attend the General Assembly. A dele- gate shall be authorised to make all declarations and take all actions necessary to exercise the membership rights.
An application for membership has to be submitted in writing to the RENEB Secretary. The General Assembly votes on the admission.
The Board will be elected from the ranks of the voting members.

(4) Associate members are natural persons who contribute to the objectives or activities of RENEB.

Associate members are proposed for associate membership by at least two voting members and have to be accepted by the Council.
Associate members may participate in the General Assembly without the right to vote.

(5) Honorary members are natural persons who have made outstanding contributions to the realisation of RENEB or the aims of RENEB.

The Council shall award honorary memberships.
Honorary members may participate in the General Assembly in an advisory capacity with- out a voting right.
Honorary members are proposed by at least two voting members.

(6) Supporting members are natural or legal persons which do not meet the requirements for voting members but have an interest in the work of the Association. They support the Asso- ciation through counsel or by financial means.
Application is done in writing to the Secretary. The General Assembly votes on the admis- sion.
Supporting members may participate in the General Assembly in an advisory capacity with- out a voting right.

Article 4

Termination of Membership

(1) Membership ends
(a) upon leaving the Association;
(b) in the case of legal persons upon their dissolution;
(c) in the case of a natural person upon his or her death;
(d) upon its exclusion from the Association. Membership also ends by dissolution of RENEB.

(2) A member leaves the Association by notifying the Chairperson in writing. A voting member may only leave at the end of a business year.

(3) Any member may be, through a resolution of the General Assembly, excluded from the Association if it has grossly contravened the Association’s interests.

The Council may propose to the General Assembly to exclude a member from the Association. Before the General Assembly decides the member must be given the opportunity to explain himself or herself. A written statement of the member must be read out in the General Assembly.

Article 5

Bodies of the Association

Bodies of the Association are:
(1) General Assembly;
(2) Working Groups;
(3) Council;
(4) Board.

Article 6

General Assembly

(1) The General Assembly is composed of the delegates of the voting members.

(2) The General Assembly is responsible for the governance of RENEB and for the identification of objectives and strategy.

(3) The General Assembly may transfer the execution of tasks or parts of them to the Council.

(4) The General Assembly meets at least once a year, presided over by the Chairperson or in his or her absence either by the Vice-Chairperson or by another member of the Council elected by the General Assembly. If no member of the Board is present, the General Assembly des- ignates a president.

(5) The General Assembly is convened by the Board under observation of a period of two weeks through written notification stating the agenda. The notification may be submitted by e-mail. The period commences on the working day following the day of submission of the notification. The notification is considered being received if it has been submitted to the last address or e-mail-address submitted by the member in writing or by e-mail. The Board stipulates the agenda.

(6) The Board may convene a special meeting of the General Assembly at any time. The Board must convene the General Assembly if this is required by the interests of the Association or a tenth of the voting members call in writing or by e-mail for a meeting to be convened, stating the purpose and the reasons. The rules for regular meetings of the General Assem- bly apply mutatis mutandis for special meetings.

(7) A voting member is entitled to designate in writing or by e-mail any associate member as replacement of the permanent representative to represent it at the General Assembly.

(8) Each voting member has one vote. Save as otherwise provided, decisions are made with the simple majority of the valid votes cast by the present or represented voting members. Abstentions are regarded as invalid votes and therefore not as cast votes. Votes on

– the admission of voting members (Article 3 para. 3 sentence 5) or supporting members (Article 3 para. 6 sentence 4),
– the exclusion of members (Article 4 para. 3),
– adding subjects to the agenda (Article 6 para. 11),
– modifications of the Articles of Association (Article 12) or
– dissolution of the Association (Art. 13 para. 1) require a two-thirds majority.

Decisions on the modification of the Articles of Association require a quorum of two thirds of the voting members. If less than two thirds of voting members are present or represented

at the General Assembly then the matter shall be resolved by postal ballot with a return date no later than three months after the General Assembly.
Decisions on the dissolution of the Association require that at least three fourths of the voting members are present or represented.

(9) The General Assembly may decide to make decisions in lieu of a meeting in writing, by e- mail, by videoconference or any other form of communication. The decision shall deter- mine the time limits in which votes must be cast. Votes not being cast within the time limit are considered as abstention within the meaning of paragraph 8.

(10) The Secretary draws up minutes for each meeting. He or she circulates a draft of the minutes to all voting members within six weeks after the meeting. If there are no written objections from a voting member within a period of four weeks the minutes are considered as approved and final. The minutes will be signed by the Chairperson and the Secretary. The minutes are distributed to voting members and are accessible to all members.

(11) No decision should be passed on any subject which has not been on the agenda, except if the General Assembly decides to add it.

(12) Decisions of the General Assembly shall be entered in the minutes.

Article 7

Working Groups

(1) The General Assembly may decide to establish Working Groups. The decision must at least set down:
(a) the terms of reference for the Working Group;
(b) the head of the Working Group;
(c) the members of the Working Group.
(2) The General Assembly may set down rules of procedure concerning the establishment of Working Groups.

Article 8

Council

(1) The Council is composed of the members of the Board and the heads of the Working Groups, if such have been established. The General Assembly may elect further members of the Council, however, the Council must not be composed of more than ten members.

(2) The Council defines the strategy of RENEB and identifies the need for activities. Both are subjects to the approval by the General Assembly. The General Assembly may decide to as- sign additional tasks to the Council.

(3) The General Assembly may set down:
(a) the Terms of Reference of the Council
(b) the Rules of Procedure of the Council.

Article 9

Board

(1) The Board consists of
(a) the Chairperson,
(b) the Vice-Chairperson,
(c) the Secretary and
(d) the Treasurer.

(2) The Chairperson and the Vice-Chairperson is the legal representative of RENEB, jointly rep- resenting the Association in court and out of court.

(3) The General Assembly elects the Board for a period of three years, starting on the day of election. Notwithstanding the first sentence, the term of office of the Board elected in the inaugural meeting shall be one year. The Board remains in office until a new board is elected.

If a member of the Board leaves during her or his period of office, the Board elects for the remaining period a substitute member out of the ranks of the voting members.

Members of the Board may be re-elected; however, the chairperson and the vice-chairper- son may only be re-elected for an additional period, not counting the Board period, elected during the inauguration meeting.

(4) The General Assembly may recall any member of the Board by electing a new member. The rules concerning the election of members of the Board apply mutatis mutandis.

(5) The Board is responsible for the daily management of the Association.

Article 10

Finances

Voting members pay a membership fee. The General Assembly decides on the amount and the due date.

Article 11

Rules of Procedure

(1) Rules of procedure may be established to specify the measures to carry out the present Ar- ticles of Association.

(2) The Rules of Procedure will be proposed by the Board and have to be agreed by the General Assembly. Rules of procedure must be consistent with the Articles of Constitution of RENEB.

Article 12

Modification of the Articles of Association

(1) The General Assembly may decide to amend the Articles of Association.

(2) A decision to modify the purpose of the Association (Article 2 of the Articles of Association) can be taken only if the non-profit character of the Association is not set aside.

(3) If the tax office or the register of associations objects to a section of this Articles of Associa- tion the Chairperson and the Vice-Chairperson can align this section according to the re- quest without need for approval of the members of the Association. The members must be informed of the changes.

Article 13

Dissolution of the Association and Devolution of the Assets

(1) The General Assembly may decide to dissolve the Association.

(2) Unless otherwise decided by the General Assembly, the Chairperson and the Vice Chairper- son together are liquidators authorised to represent the members.

(3) In case of dissolution of the Association, abolition or lapse of the tax privileged status any assets available shall be transferred to a legal person of public law or another tax privileged society to be used for
(a) the advancement of science and research;
(b) the advancement of fire prevention, occupational health and safety, disaster control and civil defense as well as of accident prevention.

The Articles of Association was established in the inaugural meeting on 8th May 2017 in Oberschleissheim, Germany.