Rule 1

SCOPE

a) These procedures shall apply to the management of all the funds of the Association, including reserve funds.

b) In case of doubt as to their interpretation or application the Budget Committee shall be authorised to rule thereon.

Rule 2

RESPONSIBILITY

a) The Treasurer shall be responsible for the application of these procedures.

b) To this end, she or he may, subject to the approval of the Budget Committee, delegate part of her or his responsibilities to the Executive Secretary.

Rule 3

BUDGET PROCEDURE

a) The Treasurer shall draw up a draft financial framework for the next triennium on the basis of the three-year programme of activities approved by Council and submit this to the Budget Committee for its consideration.

b) For the purposes of drafting the three-year financial framework, the Treasurer shall estimate the probable expenditures, including those of the committees and working parties of the Assembly and the Council, on the basis of their programmes. The Treasurer shall also draw up an estimate of probable income.

c) If the Council has established a figure for the reserve fund of the Association higher than the customary reserve of the three months overheads, the Treasurer shall allow for the necessary allocation in the budget.

d) The financial framework and the annual budget shall be laid out and presented in a form approved by the Budget Committee. Any changes to the layout shall be presented by the Treasurer to the Budget Committee.

e) The draft financial framework and annual budget accompanied by the expenditure estimates and all other relevant information shall be sent to the members of the Budget Committee so as to reach them not less than two weeks prior to the relevant session of the committee.

f) Once the financial framework has been adopted by the Assembly for the three-year period, within-budget transfers may be made by the Treasurer with the authorisation of the Budget Committee and shall be reported to the Council.

Rule 4

DUES

a) Should the Assembly adopt a system for calculating dues rather than fixing the actual amount, the Treasurer shall compute the dues payable by members in accordance with that system, taking into account the Programme of Activities adopted by the Assembly.

b) The level of dues as well as the penalties set by the Budget Committee for late payment of dues shall be published in the Bulletin. An invoice shall be sent to all members within thirty days following the Assembly, showing the amount due by them for the first year. In subsequent years, this invoice will be sent one month before the beginning of the financial year.

c) The amount of dues payable shall be expressed in Swiss francs and members must see that this net sum reaches the Treasurer, irrespective of exchange rates, transfer charges and commission.

d) New members whose membership is confirmed during the course of the year shall pay one-half of the dues payable on 1 February of the current year in respect of the region where they have their professional address on the day on which their membership is confirmed.

Rule 5

REGIONAL REFUND

a) Regional refunds shall represent the highest of 8% of the total amount of dues to be paid by members belonging to the region concerned on the first day of the financial year, or CHF 2'000.-. The refund shall be expressed in Swiss francs and shall be in accordance with the conditions of paragraph (b) below.

b) The refund is calculated on the basis of the number of members on 1 February of the year in question, without taking account of changes in the number of members over the year, nor any possible exemptions concerning the amount of the contribution.

c) The Treasurer shall pay the whole of the refund on 30 June if at least 50% of the members of the region have paid their contribution by this date.

If the figure of 50% has not been reached, the Treasurer shall suspend the payment of the refund until 30 September, at which point he will settle the amount of the refund calculated on the basis of the actual number of contributions received by that date.

DISTANT REGION SUBSIDY

In accordance with the Financial Regulations, the Council may grant a distant region subsidy to regions that meet the criteria. This subsidy shall be paid on June 30.

Rule 6

REGIONAL TREASURER

a) The Regional Treasurer, elected in accordance with Article 35 of the Statutes, shall be responsible for the utilisation of the regional refund and distant region subsidy referred to in Rule 5 and such other funds as may be entrusted to her or him on behalf of the region or the Association.

He/she shall prepare the region's annual accounts according to the model drawn up by the Budget Committee; he/she shall bring them to the attention of the region's members.

b) The Regional Treasurer shall open a bank account for the purpose of holding the funds of the region in her or his custody and shall inform the Treasurer of the details of that account (name, number and members having power of signature).

Rule 7

ACCOUNTS

a) Each entry in the accounts shall bear a reference to the appropriate budget code.

b) The Treasurer shall ensure that the accounts for the financial year ending are submitted for auditing by the external auditors not later than thirty days after the end of the financial year concerned.

c) In submitting the audited accounts of the Association, the auditors shall use the same layout as used for the budget for the financial period(s) concerned.

d) The Treasurer shall ensure that the auditors have access to all the ledgers, computer records and other documents that they may need in the performance of their duties.

e) The Treasurer shall submit the accounts to the Budget Committee at the latest sixty days after they have been received from the external auditors.

Rule 8

MANAGEMENT OF FUNDS

a) The Treasurer shall be responsible for the management of the current account, the reserve fund and the investments of the Association.

b) A list of the investments of the Association's funds shall be kept up to date by the Treasurer and presented to each meeting of the Budget Committee.

Rule 9

POWER OF SIGNATURE

a) Within the provisions of Article 7 (b) of the Financial Regulations, transactions on the accounts of the Association shall be authorised by signature of the Treasurer or the President of the Association.

b) The Treasurer may delegate power of signature to the Executive Secretary, fixing a maximum sum, and shall inform the Budget Committee of any such arrangements.

Rule 10

AMORTISATION

In certain cases, the cost of items of movable property may be spread over several financial years. In such cases the Treasurer shall first consult the Budget Committee.

Rule 11

SOLIDARITY FUND

a) The Solidarity Fund shall be administered independently by an administrator appointed by the Council. The Administrator may appoint an assistant to help her or him.

b) The Fund shall be financed by means of donations. The Council shall replenish the Fund's assets whenever these reach a minimum level set by the Council acting on a proposal from the Administrator and reviewed after every ordinary assembly.

c) The purpose of the Fund's resources is to provide immediate assistance to members of the Association in times of urgent need. Granting of assistance shall be solely at the discretion of the Administrator, who shall first request the opinion of other members acquainted with the colleague in difficulty, particularly the Council member(s) from the same region.

d) The Administrator shall have sole responsibility for the Fund's assets, which shall be deposited in a special bank account in the name of the Association.

e) The Administrator shall submit annual accounts and shall report to both the Council and the Assembly.

f) The Fund's activities shall be confidential.