BOOK VII: Commercial jurisdictions and the organisation of commerce.

The election of members of the National Council shall be by first-past-the-post ballot. Voting shall be by postal ballot. Ballots must reach the Chairman of the National Council within ten days of the date on which the ballot opens; at the end of this period, the ballot is closed. Each ballot paper shall be sent in a double envelope; the inner envelope, which contains the ballot paper, must be closed…

The candidates obtaining the highest number of votes for each seat shall be declared elected. In the event of a tie between several candidates obtaining the highest number of votes, the oldest shall be declared elected.

Any commercial court clerk may refer the election of the members of the National Council to the Paris Court of Appeal within ten days of the proclamation of the results. The appeal shall be lodged with the chief clerk of the court of appeal against a receipt or sent by registered letter with acknowledgement of receipt; it shall be investigated and judged in accordance with the rules applicable to proceedings…

The members of the National Council elect from among their number, by a first-past-the-post ballot and for a period of two years, a chairman, a vice-chairman and five members, who constitute the bureau. In the event of a tie, the oldest of the candidates is declared elected.

If a member of the National Council ceases to hold office before the expiry of his term of office, he shall be replaced within a period of three months; the duties of the new member shall end when those of the member he replaced would have ceased. The term of office of the Chairman, Vice-Chairman and officers shall end when the person concerned ceases to fulfil the conditions for membership…

The duties of a member of the National Council are free of charge. They may only give rise to the reimbursement of travel and subsistence expenses in accordance with the conditions laid down each year by the National Council. The President, the Vice-President and the members of the Executive Committee may receive, for representation expenses, an allowance the amount of which is laid down by the National Council.

The National Council may only deliberate and vote if at least two thirds of its members are present. In the event of a tie, the Chairman shall have the casting vote.

The National Council shall draw up its own rules of procedure governing the way in which it and the Bureau operate; it shall lay down the powers of the Chairman, the Vice-Chairman and the Bureau.

The National Council draws up its budget. It sets the amount of the dues to be paid annually to it by each commercial court clerk. Non-payment of dues constitutes a disciplinary offence.

The National Council is responsible in particular for organising initial training, the competitive examination for admission to the profession of commercial court clerk, under the conditions provided for in articles R. 742-6-1 and R. 742-6-2, the course validation interview, under the conditions set out in articles R. 742-7 to R. 742-15-1, and the ongoing training of commercial court clerks and, where applicable, the training of their staff. It is also…