The SFV operates under the rules set out in the French law dated 1st July 1901 governing non-profit-making public-interest associations. It has Articles of Association and Rules. Clause 3 of the Articles states that the Association comprises an Honour Committee and Supporting, Honorary, Active, Foreign, Associated, Life and Articled members.  The members of the Honour Committee and the Founding, Honorary, Life or Articled members are physical persons. The other members are physical or legally constituted legal persons.

The Association is managed by a Board of Trustees of at least 15 members who are physical persons with French nationality, elected for 3 years by secret ballot at the mandatory annual general meeting. Outgoing members are eligible for re-election. The Board meets at least every two months.
By secret ballot among its members the Board of Trustees chooses an executive committee comprising:
  • President
  • Vice-President
  • General Secretary
  • Deputy General Secretary
  • Financial Controller
  • Vice Financial Controller
  • Information Officer

Accordingly, every year a statutory General Meeting is held to approve the Policy report for the previous financial year and the corresponding financial report, validated by the auditor.
It defines the outlines of policies for the coming year, and following years if necessary, as proposed by the Board of Trustees.
The members of the Board of Trustees are renewed by secret ballot, and must meet at least every two months to define the actions to be undertaken to meet the recommendations of the Annual General Meeting.


This Board will elect the new executive committee which will be responsible in practice for the execution of the action so defined, with the assistance of the permanent secretariat.
This statutory structure is completed by a functional structure composed of committees.  Currently, for example, there are the "Education", "Plasma" and "Adhesion" committees.


The minutes of the proceedings of the General Meeting, the list of decisions voted and in particular the results of the votes on the moral discharge and the financial discharge together with the financial report are sent every year to the Office of Associations at the Seine Prefecture.