Statutes of the "Tunisian Society of Clinical Biology " Association
Title I: Objectives and membership.
Article 1: It is hereby formed an Association named "Tunisian Society of Clinical Biology", governed by the provisions of the decree-law n° 2011-88 of September 24, 2011 relating to Associations, referred to hereafter by “Association”.
The Association main office address is located at: Apartment C10, Residence Tunis Carthage, Borj Baccouche - Ariana 2080 Tunis - Tunisia.
The Association is represented in justice and in all the acts the civil life by its Chairman or its General Secretary or failing that by a member mandated by the Board, provided for by article 8 of the present statutes.
Article 2: The Association aims at achieving the following objectives:
1. To unite the medical biologists concerned by all the aspects of the methods and biological explorations contributing to the prevention, diagnosis, prognosis and therapeutics of the human affections.
2. To promote the different specialties of medical biology.
3. Advancement in the resolution of scientific issues related to medical biology.
The Association may take all measures it deems necessary to achieve its objectives. These measures must be legitimate and comply with the legislation and regulations in force.
Article 3: The Association performs as part of her mandate the following activities:
1. Organisation of the annual national days of clinical biology.
2. Organisation of specific theme scientific days or any other activities within the framework of the continuous training of the medical biologists.
3. Periodical publication of a scientific journal entitled "Tunisian Journal of Clinical Biology".
4. Realization of studies on topics related to medical biology.
These studies are carried out by commissions and working groups set up by the Association for this purpose.
5. The awarding of prizes for medical biology researchers who have presented original or innovative works in the field of medical biology.
6. Organisation of External Quality Assessment (EQA) in medical biology laboratories
7. Organisation of any other activities related to the promotion of medical biology.
Article 4: The Association is composed of:
• Full members,
• Temporary members,
• Corresponding members,
• Honorary members.
The admission of members to the Association is subject to the following conditions:
a) Full members
May become a full member, any person residing in Tunisia with a degree of Pharmacist or Physician, specialist in medical biology.
Any person wishing to be admitted to the Association as a full member must send an application for membership to the general secretariat of the Association.
Applications are examined by the Board of the Association which decides on the admission of candidates as full members.
b) Temporary members
May become a temporary member any person residing in Tunisia who, following a training in medical biology, has the status of doctor or pharmacist.
c) Corresponding members
May become a corresponding member any person residing outside Tunisia and fulfilling the same conditions as those required for a full member.
The admission of corresponding members is carried out according to the same procedure laid down for the admission of full members.
d) Honorary members
Honorary members are chosen from among persons who have rendered or are still rendering eminent service to medical biology. They are elected by the Ordinary General Assembly on the proposal of the Board.
Article 5: The above-mentioned members have rights and obligations towards the Association.
a) The rights of the members of the Association are classified into specific rights and common rights.
1. The specific rights of the titular members are:
- The right of candidature to be a member of the Board of the Association subject to the fulfilment of the conditions provided for in article 8 of these statutes.
- The right to vote at the General Meetings.
2. The rights common to all members are:
- The right to participate in the General Meetings of the Association. However, non-titular members do not enjoy the right to vote.
- The right to participate in the activities of the Association.
- The right to express one’s opinion and to formulate proposals or observations concerning the Association.
b) The obligations of the members of the Association include:
- The compliance with the provisions of these statutes.
- The respect of the decisions taken by the General Assembly or by the Board of the Association.
- The contribution to the achievement of the objectives of the Association and to the preservation of its heritage.
- The active participation in the General Meetings.
- The payment of the annual membership fee, except for the honorary members who are exempted from it. The amount of the annual membership fee is set at thirty (30) Tunisian dinars.
Article 6: The member of the Association loses the status of titular, temporary, correspondent or honorary member in the following cases:
- A letter of resignation is addressed to the Board.
- Repeated non-payment of membership fee despite the reminders sent by the Board.
- Exclusion decided by the General Assembly on justified proposal of the Board.
In the event of vacancy of one of the posts of the Board, the latter meets, and based on the consensus of remaining members, entrusts the vacant post to one of the Board members for the remainder of the term of the excluded member.
This procedure applies only when the vacancies do not exceed one third (1/3) of the members of the Board. Otherwise, by-elections must be held.
Title II: Governing Bodies
Article 7: The governing bodies of the Association are the Board and the General Assembly.
Article 8: The Board of the Association includes:
- The Chairman,
- Two vice-presidents,
- A General Secretary,
- Two assistant General Secretaries,
- A treasurer,
- An assistant treasurer,
- An archivist.
The Board is composed of nine (09) members of Tunisian nationality and having the status of full member for at least three (03) years.
To occupy one of the positions of the Board, the above-mentioned members must be elected by the Ordinary General Assembly by secret ballot for a mandate of three (3) years.
Members of the outgoing Board are eligible for re-election but may not serve more than three (03) successive terms. However, re-elected members may not hold the same position in the Board more than two subsequent terms
Candidatures must be sent to the Board by registered letter for validation at least seven (07) days before the date of the elections.
at least thirty (30) days before the date set for the elections, a notice concerning the organisation of the Board elections and their date of its holding must be advertised in two (02) Tunisian daily newspapers.
Article 9: The Board meets upon convocation of its Charman or at the request of at least one third (1/3) of its members.
Deliberations are valid only if at least five (05) of its members are present at the meeting.
In case where number of members present at the meeting is even and if there is a tie, the Chairman has a casting vote.
At the end of each meeting, minutes are drawn up and signed jointly by the Chairman and the General Secretary.
Article 10: The General Assembly is composed of all full members and meets in Ordinary General Meeting or in Extraordinary General Meeting.
a) The Ordinary General Meeting meets once a year and each time it is convened by the Board or on request of at least a quarter (1/4) of the full members of the Association.
Notice of the meeting of the Ordinary General Meeting must be sent at least thirty (30) days in advance. It must include the agenda, drawn up by the Board or at the request of at least one quarter (1/4) of the full members of the Association.
The Ordinary General Meeting are held in order:
- To present the moral report and the financial report of the Association.
- To approve the accounts of the previous financial year.
- To deliberate on the questions indicated on the agenda.
- The decisions of the Ordinary General Assembly are taken by an absolute majority of the members present.
At the request of the Board, postal votes may be organised by the Secretary General when the agenda includes specific subjects.
b) The Extraordinary General Meeting meets to take decisions on:
- The modification of the statutes of the Association.
- The dissolution of the Association at the request of its full members.
- The merger or the scission of the Association.
The Extraordinary General Meeting can validly deliberate if the number of members present is at least equal to half (1/2) of the total number of full members at the date of the convocation.
In case the quorum indicated above is not reached, a second convocation, concerning the same agenda, must be advertised in two (02) Tunisian daily newspapers as well as on the Association's website, within a period not exceeding fifteen (15) days.
At the second meeting, the Extraordinary General Meeting deliberates regardless of the number of those present.
The period between the two above mentioned Extraordinary General Meetings shall not exceed thirty (30) days.
The decisions of the Extraordinary General Meeting are taken by a two-thirds (2/3) majority of the members present.
Title III: Treasury of the Association.
Article 11: The resources of the Association are composed of:
1. The membership of the full members, the temporary members and the corresponding members.
2. The membership fees for the congresses and scientific days and other scientific activities organised by the Association
3. Grants, donations and legacies.
Article 12: The funds of the Association are intended for:
- Financing the Association activities, mentioned in article 3 of these statutes.
- Acquiring books and journals necessary for the medical biologist's bibliographical documentation.
- Financing the creation and hosting of the Association's website and the website of the "Revue Tunisienne de La Biologie Clinique ".
- Operating expenses: staff remuneration, rent, overheads, etc.
Article 13: Expenses are ordered by the Chairman or by the Secretary General upon delegation of the Chairman, and paid by the treasurer who shall enter them in a dedicated register.
Article 14: The Association must keep accounts in accordance with the accounting system of companies provided for by the law 96-112 of December 30, 1996 relating to the accounting system of companies.
Article 15: The Association must also keep the following registers:
a) A register of members in which are recorded the names of the members of the Association, their addresses, dates of birth and professions.
b) A register of the deliberations of the Association's management bodies.
c) A register in which the activities carried out by the Association are recorded.
d) A register of subsidies, donations and legacies received by the Association, distinguishing those in kind from those in cash, those of public origin from those of private origin and those of national origin from those of foreign origin.
Article 16: The Association must publish the data concerning the subsidies, gifts and legacies of foreign origin it receives, and must indicate their sources, their value and their object in one written media and on its website within one (01) month from the date of the decision of their solicitation or their reception. It must inform the Secretary General of the Government by registered letter with acknowledgement of receipt within the same time limit.
Article 17: The Association must keep its documents and financial records for a period of ten (10) years.
Title IV: Amendment of the statutes, dissolution, merger and Scission of the Association
Article 18: The statutes of the Association can be amended only by decision of the Extraordinary General Meeting on proposal of its Board or of the third (1/3) of full members.
This proposal must be submitted to the Board one (01) month before the date of the Extraordinary General Meeting ruling on the question.
The quorum for the meeting relating to the amendment of the statutes and the majority required for taking decisions relating thereto are the same as those provided for in paragraph "b" of article 10 above.
Article 19: The dissolution of the Association is carried out by decision of the Extraordinary General Meeting, which can only meet if the absolute majority of full members are present.
The decision to dissolve the Association is taken by a two-thirds (2/3) majority of full members present.
The Association is required to inform the Secretary General of the Government by registered letter with acknowledgement of receipt within thirty (30) days from the date of the decision to dissolve the Association.
Article 20: With view to its dissolution, the Association draws up a statement of its movable and real estate property assets which will be retained to discharge its obligations.
The remainder is distributed in accordance with the decisions taken by the Extraordinary General Meeting.
When the net assets are made up of goods coming from subsidies, donations or legacies, they will be attributed to one or several establishments or Associations having the same objectives as the "Société Tunisienne de Biologie Clinique".
Article 21: Decisions of merger and scission of the Association are taken in accordance with the provisions of paragraph "b" of Article 10 above.
Article 22: Any dispute will be settled either amicably or by the General Meeting. Failing this, the dispute shall be brought before the competent Tunisian courts.