All members are entitled to

1. receive the Union's Newsletter;
2. receive a reduction of registration fee for a General Assembly and for scientific meetings organised by the Union;
3. purchase the Union's journals and books at concessionary rates;
4. receive a reduction of publication fee for the publications of the Union, where levied.
5. affiliate with one or more Division or Section;
6. nominate candidates for service on the Council;
7. stand for election to the Council;
8. vote in the elections of officers;
9. attend and vote at the Plenary Session.

Slates for the election of officers to vacant posts on the Council shall be prepared by the Nomination Committee (see By-law 7.10.a.). Such slates should, wherever possible, contain at least two names for each vacancy. The names of candidates for Presidents of Divisions and Sections shall be decided at the relevant Business Meetings of the Divisions and Sections (see By-law 6.10.) and for the other officers of Council at the relevant Plenary Session, respectively, and fed to the Nominations Committee. Members of the Union not being able to attend the relevant Business Meetings or Plenary Session may propose names of candidates directly to the Chairpersons of the Business Meetings of the Divisions and Sections (see By-law 6) or of the Plenary Session (see By-law 9), respectively, by 3 weeks prior to the relevant meetings.

The President shall be elected to serve for a term of 2 years. He/she shall be elected one year before the beginning of the term of office, and in that period serve as President-Elect, and shall continue as a member of the Council for one year after the term of office, as Past-President. The President-Elect or the Past-President, respectively, is the Vice-President of the Union.

The Council shall meet at least once every year. A quorum of the Council shall consist of fifty percent of its membership.

The scientific activities of the Union shall be organized through Divisions and Sections. For the current list see Appendix 1.

It is the task and responsibility of the officers of each Division and each Section to

1. ensure that all subjects within the ambit of each Division or Section are well represented by appropriate Sub-Divisions or Sub-Sections, and in particular, by appropriate liaison, to be aware of all possible mutual interests with other Divisions or Sections, and thereby to provide the core for attractive and timely sessions and especially joint sessions at each General Assembly of the Union with minimal duplication;
   
2. suggest to the Programme Committee (see By-law 7.6.a.) one convener and co-conveners to organize each such session;
3. propose to the Publication Committee (see By-law 7.7.a) candidates for editorship of the publications of the Union, as
   required;
4. propose to the Nominations Committee (see By-law 7.10.a.) candidates for election to vacancies on the Council;
5. propose to the Awards Committee (see By-law 7.9.a.) candidates for Honorary Membership and the various awards and medals of the Union;
6. arrange for reports on the activities of their Division or Section to be presented to the Council as required.

The administrative, educational and other activities of the Union shall be carried out through the following Committees:

1. Programme Committee
   
2. Publications Committee
3. Finance Committee
4. Awards Committee
5. Nominations Committee
6. Committee for Outreach Activities
7. Committee on Education
8. Committee for Foreign Affairs

It is the task of the Programme Committee to

1. prepare a detailed list of all scientific sessions to be held at a forthcoming General Assembly of the Union, together with the names and addresses of the conveners;
   
2. ensure that the officers of each Division or Section have eliminated duplication of the various proposed sessions and to take corrective action if necessary;
3. prepare a preliminary time schedule for the various sessions, and ensure that there are no clashes between sessions of common interest;
4. monitor Joint Sessions between different Divisions and Sections;
5. decide the topics to be covered by the Union Symposia.

It is the task of the Publications Committee to

1. take a strategic overview of the Union's publication activities, e.g. by monitoring the progress of existing journals, monitoring the contracts of the Union with publishers and developing future publications policy.
   
2. respond to requests for support from the Union's editorial boards and editorial office.
3. suggest candidates for the Newsletter Editor, and approve the editorial policy of the Newsletter.
4. to report to Council on these activities.

It is the task of the Finance Committee to

1. agree a budget for the Union for the forthcoming year, to be presented to the Council and the Plenary Session;
   
2. monitor the overall account of the Union, as presented in the financial summary to the Council and the Plenary Session;
3. recommend to the Council the amount of the annual membership fee;
4. determine the total amount of money to be spent on the various support and award programmes of the Union for the next General Assembly;
5. seek new sources of income for the Union.

It is the task of the Awards Committee to

1. ensure the establishment and performance of the various Medal and Award Committees of the Union;
   
2. consider suggestions for Honorary Membership and for other awards and medals of the Union forwarded by the relevant Committee Chairs, and make appropriate recommendations to Council;
3. consider the need or desirability for the creation of new awards and medals by the Union.

It is the task of the Nominations Committee to

1. prepare slates for the elections of officers to vacant posts on the Council.
   
2. ascertain the willingness of all candidates to stand for election;
3. present the proposed slates to the Council for approval.

It is the task of the Committee for Outreach Activities

1. By-law 1.5 - 1.6

It is the task of the Committee on Education

1. TBD

It is the task of the Committee for Foreign Affairs

1. By-law 1.7

For each journal under the direct control of the Union, Council shall appoint a managing editor and an editorial board. The terms of reference of the managing editor and editorial board shall be agreed by Council on a case-by-cases basis. The managing editor shall chair the editorial board and report to Council on the activities of the board.

A Plenary Session of the Union, consisting of its members (of all categories, see Article 2.1.) meeting together in a formal session, shall be convened during a General Assembly of the Union.

Overall assistance for all bodies and officers involved in the organization of the Union shall be provided by the Office(s) of the Union, under the direction of an Executive Secretary (see By-law 4.4.).