Environmental protection associations

An environmental protection association may be approved if it meets all of the following conditions:

• Be declared (or, in Alsace-Moselle, entered in the register of associations) since at least 3 years
• Work mainly for the protection of the environment, particularly in the field of nature protection and wildlife management, improving the living environment, protecting water, air, soil, sites and landscapes, city planning, combating pollution and nuisances
• To exercise effective and public activity in these fields
• To justify, in the light of the territorial framework of its activity, a sufficient number of members contributing either individually or through federated associations
• Be non-profit and have a selfless management
• Demonstrate democratic functioning (regular and periodic democratic election of leaders, effective control over the management of the organization by members of the association)
• Demonstrate financial transparency (keeping of accounts, accounts accessible to members and administrations with which the association has a financial relationship)

The request is made at prefecture of the department in which the association has its registered office.

It must be sent by registered letter with acknowledgement of receipt or delivered directly to the prefecture against discharge.

The application for approval shall be prepared by the president of the association in triplicate.

It shall contain the following documents:

• Rules and regulations Statutes of the association and
• Address of the registered office of the association and postal address, if different
• Indication of the national, regional or departmental framework for which authorization is sought (which depends on the geographical area in which the association actually carries out its activity)
• Copy of the witness for publication in the JOAFE: titleContent of the declaration of the association
• Name, profession, domicile and nationality of persons responsible for the administration of the association

The file must also contain the following documents for the previous 3 years:

• Note setting out the association's activity, the geographical scope in which it operates and any other information likely to establish that it did indeed and publicly work as the main protector of the environment during this period
• Minutes of general meetings
• Activity report, profit and loss and balance sheet accounts and their annexes approved by each general meeting
• Amount of contributions, product of these contributions, number and geographical distribution of up-to-date members deducted at each general meeting, specifying the number of members, natural persons
• Number of members, natural persons, contributing through federated associations
• Dates of Management Board meetings

Rules and regulations If they are not included in the statutes or the

• Conditions allowing access to the accounts of the association by all its members
• Deadline for members to be informed in advance of the documents on which they have to vote at the general meeting
• Conditions governing the conduct of votes in the general meeting

Approval shall be granted by the prefect of the department in which the association has its head office when approval is requested in a departmental or regional context.

It is granted by the Minister responsible for the Environment when approval is requested in a national framework.

The approval decision shall state the reasons (i.e. the reasons for granting the approval) and specify the geographical scope for which the approval is granted.

It shall be published in the Official Journal when it is taken at national level or at the register of administrative acts of the prefecture in other cases.

In the event of refusal of authorization, reasons shall be given for the decision.

Approval shall be deemed to have been granted in the absence of a decision at the end of the six months following receipt of the application in the prefecture.

Approval shall be granted for 5 years.

He is renewable.

Renewal of the authorization shall be sent to the prefecture of the department in which the association has its registered office.

The request must be made at least 6 months before the expiry date of the current authorization.

The renewal file is prepared by the president of the association in triplicate.

It shall contain the following documents:

• Application for renewal specifying the national, regional or departmental framework for which renewal of the approval is requested
• Note presenting the evolution of the association over the last 5 years in terms of its activity, the geographical scope in which it operates and any other information likely to justify the request for renewal.

Each year, the approved association must send, by post or electronic means, the following documents to the authority which granted the approval:

• Rules and regulations Statuses and, if changed since last transmission
• Address of the registered office of the association and postal address if they have changed since their last transmission
• Name, profession, domicile and nationality of persons responsible for the administration of the association
• Activity report, profit and loss and balance sheet accounts and their annexes approved by the general meeting and the minutes of that meeting
• Minutes of the last ordinary general meeting and of any special general meeting
• Amounts of contributions, product of these contributions, number and geographical distribution of members up to date of their contributions counted at the general meeting, specifying the number of members, natural persons
• Number of members, natural persons, contributing through federated associations, if applicable
• Dates of Management Board meetings