UN RENOUVEAU DE LA PARTICIPATION ASSOCIATIVE ? L'engagement et le militantisme au sein du comité Attac Isère

1.2.1.2 Statutes of association

The operation of association rests on the statutes which were adopted on June 3, 1998^112(*). They distinguish two types of members. « The founder members, brought together in college, are the people who created association and those that they will indicate, in the majority of two thirds, to supplement them or replace them, if necessary. The active members are the other people who will have adhered to association »^113(*). Association is equipped with a Board of directors, an office, a president, and the scientific Council. The Board of directors is composed of 30 members elected for a three years mandate and re-eligible without limitations. On the 30 administrators, 18 emanate from the college from the founder members and 12 of the whole of the active members. The meetings of the turnover take place « as often as the interest of association requires it »^114(*) with a minimum of two meetings per annum. The office is composed of the president and the vice-presidents, the treasurer and members. It is in charge of the management of association « within the framework of the orientations fixed by the Board of directors ». The president « is indicated by the Council, among the founder members, in the majority absolute with the first turn and second turn, and in the majority simple with the third »^115(*). The president exerts three roles. He has, first of all, a function of representation of association. In addition it directs the meetings of the office, the turnover and the General meeting, which it chairs. Lastly, it ensures the respect of the statutes and the rules of procedure. Since the foundation of Attac, Bernard Cassen occupies the function of president. He was elected in June 1998, then was re-elected in October 1999 at the time of bases of Ciotat^116(*). The college of the founders is composed of all the physical people and morals which created association^117(*). Among the college of the founders^118(*) ten physical people and 48 people morals appear of which associations like AC! (To act together against unemployment), Right to Housing, Rights In front!, the C.ADAC (Coordination of associations for the right to the abortion and contraception) but also of the trade unions like the country Confederation, SUD-PTT and the trade union of the magistrature, and finally of the publications such as for example Alternative Economic, Charlie Hebdo, Politis, Christian Testimony. Association finally obtained the scientific Council. It is about a body whose role is to propose to the turnover, « research orientations of association »^119(*). It produces, for that, a whole of documents which can be used of base and intellectual reference to the claims carried by Attac^120(*). It organizes its work « in all independence »^121(*). However, one can note that its president and his members are named by the Board of directors. The scientific Council is chaired, since the launching of association, by Rene Passet, highly skilled professor at the university Paris I.

The standpoint of association is carried out, according to the statutes, within the A.C. For each topic approached, the scientific Council produces a project which is subjected to the A.C. the document can then be adopted like a statute of working paper of the council and it then does not engage publicly the responsibility for association. The turnover can also choose to give an opinion officially and the text is then published in Lignes of Attac^122(*) and the works published in the name of association^123(*).

The spirit on which the statutes would rest, according to founders' of Attac, is that of « participation » and of « mutualisation ». They present the structuring of association like one « organization in network ». This is why Attac was conceived like one « national association - and not [one] federation, it makes it possible each member to take part and contribute to its development with the same relevance^124(*) ». This structuring would make it possible to ensure a better participation of each one as well as a diffusion of faster and more effective information. It acts, for example, to gather by an often virtual bond (i.e. by the means of Internet which occupies a central place in association) of the thousands of people: members of the national, members of the local committees, translators voluntary and other sections from abroad. However the statute, upon reading, one realizes determining part played by the founder members. The college of the founders does not occupy as a such important place. It proposes with the turnover « main trends and lines of action of Association »^125(*). The Council seems dominating since it can take « all decisions and measurements relating to association » in the majority of the present and of represented^126(*). However, because of the fact that the majority of the members of the turnover are elected among the College (18 founder members against 12 active members), the founder members have a right of veto which enables them to exert a control on association.

The statutes state the principles of operation of the authorities of deliberation of association. They also describe the methods of adhesion in Attac and the statute of the members. However, the committees are not mentioned. They however represent the place of interface between the national structure of association and the members. The committees are charged to organize actions (public meetings, distributions of leaflets, signatures of petition) in order to produce the local relay of the national claims. They constitute the territorial grid of association.

* ¹¹² Cf «  Statutes of Attac association adopted by the Parliament constitutive of June 3, 1998  », appendix n°8, p. 20.

* ¹¹³ Cf ibid, article n°4.

* ¹¹⁴ Ibid, article 7-3. In addition one can note that since the launching of association twenty meetings of the turnover took place.

* ¹¹⁵ Ibid, article 7-1.

* ¹¹⁶ Trautmann (Flora), «  Revolted Enthusiastic. Come from the four corners of France, the militants lengthily discussed identity of their movement  », Humanity, 25/10/1999.

* ¹¹⁷ One can note that in spite of its name the College of the founders includes/understands certain people who did not take part in the foundation of Attac. Indeed, the statutes of association provide that can take part in the College, «  the physical people and morals which created Association and those that they will indicate, in the majority of two thirds, to supplement them or replace them  ». Cf appendix n°8, article 11. It is thus, which at the time of the turnover of the 29/03/1999, six people morals were unanimously adopted like founder members  : the APEIS (Association for employment information and solidarity), TO ACT HERE, the UFAL (Union of the Laic Families), the CNAFAL (National Confederation of the Laic Families), the FFMJC (French Federation of the Houses of Young people and the Culture) and the League of teaching. Cf Attac France, «  Report of the turnover of the 29/03/1999  ».

* ¹¹⁸ We will detail some of these organizations later on. Cf «  Structures of association  », appendix n°9, p. 24.

* ¹¹⁹ Appendix n°8, article 12.

* ¹²⁰ «  Located in the middle of the device of Attac, CS aims to produce information declined so as to be accessible by all, in all the forms, on the aspects of the international financial sphere, and to communicate it, in particular at the local and adherent committees of association. The council sets moreover the task to formulate specific proposals which could be used as a basis for campaigns of public actions.  » Passet, (Rene), «  An assessment at at the end of 2000  ».

* ¹²¹ Appendix n°8, article 12.

* ¹²² Lines of Attac one 4 pages is published in a monthly way by the national direction. One can find there the positions official of association. The first number goes back to April 1999.

* ¹²³ Cf Rene Passet, «  An assessment at at the end of 2000  », op.cit.

* ¹²⁴ Cf All on Attac, p. 19.

* ¹²⁵ Cf appendix n°8, article 11.

* ¹²⁶ Ibid, article 7-4.