The Association for Constraint Programming aims at promoting constraint programming in every aspect of the scientific world, by encouraging its theoretical and practical developments, its teaching in academic institutions, its adoption in the industrial world, and its use in the application fields.
The ACP is a non-profit association, which uses the profit of the organized events to support future events or activities. To become a member of the ACP, submit an application for membership by selecting Join the ACP from the menu.
The ACP is led by an Executive Committee (EC), which takes all the decisions necessary to achieve the goals of the association. In particular, the ACP EC organizes an annual international conference on constraint programming, and decides the venue of the conference, as well as its program and conference chairs. The conference contains also a doctoral programme, which is intended to encourage doctoral students to work on CP and to participate to the CP conference. The ACP EC may also organize summer schools on CP. Moreover, the ACP EC promotes the birth of workgroups on various aspects of CP, such as the CPIA group, whose aim is to foster the collaboration between industry and academia about CP. The ACP EC also maintains a web site about all aspects of CP, and publishes a quarterly newsletter about CP events. Finally, issues like the rules for the financial handling of the CP conference, the relationship between the Constraints journal, and the rules for the composition of the EC itself, are other subjects of discussion for the ACP EC.
The ACP EC consists of at least six elected members. The elected members serve for four years, and half of the committee is renewed every two years. The complete rules for the ACP and the results of the past elections can be found on this site. The ACP was formally born in March 2005. The formal statute of the ACP can be found on this site. However, before that, since 1995 the Constraint Programming Organizing Committee (CP OC) had the same role, although in an informal way, as the current ACP EC.
The CP OC has been formed in 1995, when the first CP conference was held. At that time, the CP OC was composed by a set of founders, and has been yearly updated by adding the program and conference chairs of each CP conference. As a result, in June 2003 the CP OC had the following members: A. Borning, J.Bowen, A.Brodsky, J. Cohen, A. Colmerauer, R. Dechter, E. Freuder (chair), H. Gallaire, C. Gomes, J. Jaffar, J.-P. Jouannaud, J.-L. Lassez, M. Maher, U. Montanari, A. Nerode, J.-F. Puget, F. Rossi, V. Saraswat, G. Smolka, P. Van Hentenryck, R. Watcher, T. Walsh, R. Yap.
Since 1995, when the CP community was formally born, things have greatly changed, and our community has grown enormously. To say one thing, we have passed from about 100 submissions to CP 1995 to 246 for CP 2016, and we have built a strong doctoral program that regularly attracts about 30 applications. This is the result of a greater interest from both industry and academia for CP techniques and results, and appreciation from the application fields which benefitted from CP technology.
To respond adequately to the needs of such a greater community, which wants to have more than just an annual conference, and desires to feel part of the decisions governing the whole community, in 2003 the CP OC moved to a more structured and democratically elected governing entity, which can take care of the conference and chairs, but also of other services like, to name a few, a newsletter, summer schools, a web site, and the relationship with other communities.
The first election for the CP OC were held in the summer of 2003, and a second election was held in summer 2004. At CP 2004 it was felt that a formal entity was needed to support the CP community, rather than an informal group of people like the CP OC was. Therefore, in January 2005 the CP OC decided to start an association called the ACP, and to legally do this in France. In March 2005 the ACP was legally born.
From 2004 till 2015 the ACP sent out a 3-monthly CP Newsletter, the archive of which can be found here.
The first President of the ACP was Professor Francesca Rossi (University of Padova, Italy), who served until September 31st 2007. Professor Barry O’Sullivan (University College Cork, Ireland) served as President from October 1st 2007 until December 31st 2012. Helmut Simonis (University College Cork, Ireland) served as President from January 2013 until December 2015. Professor Laurent Michel (University of Connecticut) served as President from January 2015 until December 2019. Professor Maria Garcia de la Banda (Monash University) served as President from January 2020 until December 2020. The next president of the ACP was Professor Chris Beck from Toronto university. He was replaced by Professor David Bergman from Conneticut university. Since January 2025, Professor Gilles Pesant serves as the ACP president.
If you would like to include the ACP logo for a web page, presentation slides or a publication (for example if you have received sponsorship from the ACP), please use one of the versions below.
Visual Preview Downloads & File Attachments ACP Large Color Logo (JPG) ACP Small Color Logo (JPG) ACP Color Logo (PDF)
Resource CP Conference Index in DBLP Constraints Journal - our page / Springer page CSP Lib Google Constraints Discussion Group ACP YouTube Channel CP Conference YouTube Channel LinkedIn ACP Group Eugene Freuder keeps a very extensive list of CP resources on pearltrees
Here is an archive of the President’s Report at the yearly General Assembly, which is held during the CP conference.
2026: President’s Report 2025: President’s Report 2024: President’s Report 2023: President’s Report 2022: President’s Report 2021: President’s Report 2020: President’s Report 2019: President’s Report 2018: President’s Report 2017: President’s Report 2016: President’s Report 2015: President’s Report 2014: President’s Report 2013: President’s Report 2012: President’s Report 2011: President’s Report 2010: President’s Report 2009: President’s Report 2008: President’s Report 2007: President’s Report File attachments cp-dei-survey22.xls
Bylaw 1 - Membership There shall be two categories of membership: Member and Honorary Member. Each Member shall have one vote and will be entitled to vote with respect to the election of members of the Executive Committee and with regards to amendments to the bylaws of the Association. A Member may also stand for election to the Executive Committee. One becomes a Member of the Association by either: Paying an annual due as established by the Executive Committee, or Being designated an Honorary Member of the ACP Honorary membership is a lifetime membership. An Honorary member is designated by a vote of the Executive Committee and confirmed by a vote of the General Assembly. The term of membership for those paying annual dues shall coincide with the calendar year, beginning January 1 and ending on December 31. A Member whose conduct may have been detrimental to the good of the Association may be dropped from membership and from any office by the unanimity of the total voting membership of the Executive Committee or during the General Assembly by a 2/3 majority, provided that the member has been notified by at least twenty (20) days in advance as to the charges against him or her, and has been given the opportunity to answer the charges in person, in writing, or by an authorized representative. A person who has been dropped from membership under this bylaw can be reinstated to membership only upon majority approval of the Executive Committee or by majority vote at the General Assembly and by meeting membership requirements. Any Member may resign by sending a written resignation to the President or Secretary. Bylaw 2 - General Assembly A General Assembly shall normally be held annually at the International Conference on Principles and Practice of Constraint Programming (CP) conference. If there shall be no meeting of this conference in any year then a General Assembly may be held at a time and place specified by the Executive Committee to be announced through normal means. The General Assembly makes valid decisions only if at least a quarter of the members of the Association are present or represented. Should this quorum not be met, the membership of the Association will be given a two month period to vote on the agenda items through electronic means such as email and web voting systems. The decisions of this electronic General Assembly will be valid whatever the number of voters. No proxies are permitted in the electronic General Assembly. A member can designate any other member as a proxy. A voting member present at the General Assembly may have a maximum of 3 proxies giving him/her a maximum of 4 votes. Voting at the General Assembly shall be by show of hands unless a secret ballot is requested by any Member. The result of any vote shall be announced before the adjournment of the meeting. Resolutions for consideration at the General Assembly may be put forward either by majority vote of the Executive Committee or upon the receipt of a resolution supported by at least fifteen (15) members. Bylaw 3 - Manner of Voting Except at the General Assembly, all voting by the membership shall be done by mail ballot, defined as written or electronic communication. No Member shall be entitled to appoint a proxy except for votes at the General Assembly. Unless otherwise stated in these bylaws, any vote shall be decided by a simple majority. Bylaw 4 - Executive Committee The Executive Committee (EC) of the Association shall consist of seven voting members along with whatever non-voting members the bylaws provide. Voting members of the EC shall serve four year terms, unless otherwise stated in these bylaws. The voting members of the Executive Committee shall choose amongst themselves a President who shall serve a two year term, commencing January 1 in odd numbered years. The President shall be the principal executive officer of the Association. The President shall: Supervise the affairs of the Association Chair all meetings of the Membership and of the Executive Committee. If the President is unavailable, the President may nominate any other member of the Executive Committee to chair such a meeting. Have charge of, and be responsible for, all funds and securities of the Association. No member of the EC may be elected to the EC for more than two consecutive terms. A President may be re-elected to the Presidency by the EC. A President may be replaced at any time by a vote of five voting members of the EC. All members of the EC must be Members of the Association. The EC shall fill all vacancies in its membership by majority vote of the EC. Such positions will then be filled at the next election by the Membership, with an election for the unfilled portion of the vacated term. At the end of a President’s term, if the President is not reelected, then the President becomes the Past President. If the Past President is not already on the EC, then the Past President joins the EC as an ex-officio, non-voting member of the EC. If the Past President is an elected member of the EC, the Past President retains his or her membership. The Past President serves until replaced by a succeeding Past President. In addition, the Association shall have a Secretary, a Treasurer, and a Conference Coordinator who shall be appointed by the Executive Committee and shall serve for such term as the Executive Committee shall determine, not to exceed the time until a new Executive Committee or portion thereof is elected. These office-holders, if not already members of the Executive Committee, join the Executive Committee as ex-officio, non-voting members of the EC. The Secretary shall keep or cause to be kept correct and complete minutes of the meetings of the Members and of the EC, and shall keep a correct and complete register of Members entitled to vote along with their contact information. The Treasurer shall keep correct and complete books and records of accounts, receipt and give receipts for monies due and payable to the Association, make deposits in banks, trust companies or other depositories, and be the custodian of records of the Association. The Conference Coordinator shall have overall responsibility for coordinating meetings of the Association, for ensuring that conference organizers follow policies and procedures, and for liaising with organizers of co-sponsored conferences. A quorum for the purposes of the Executive Committee shall consist of five voting members of the EC. The Executive Committee shall meet once a year at the CP conference and at such other times as it shall determine. Electronic meetings and votes are permitted. The responsibilities of the EC are to: Select venues for future CP conferences, Select program and conference chairs for future CP conferences, Make decisions concerning the future of CP conferences, Promote constraint programming, Otherwise carryout the duties of the EC as outlined in these bylaws. The rules contained in Robert’s Rules of Order shall govern the parliamentary procedure of all meetings of the EC and Membership, to the extent they are applicable and consistent with the Constitution, Bylaws, and EC actions. Bylaw 5 - Elections An Election Committee shall be appointed by the Executive Committee and shall be responsible for the conduct of elections. Unless the Secretary is a candidate in the election, the Secretary shall chair the Election Committee. Unless otherwise determined by the Executive Committee not later than July 1 in any Election Year, the Election period shall end September 1. The Election Committee shall nominate at least one person for every position falling vacant on the Executive Committee. In addition, the Election Committee will include in the nominations any nomination made by a Member of the Association, provided the nominee agrees to the nomination. The Election Committee shall circulate such nominations to the membership not less than thirty days before the Election Date. Elections shall be held only in even numbered years. Elections shall be done by approval voting by the Members, with voting being done by either ordinary or electronic means. Bylaw 6 — Committees The Executive Committee may appoint the following committees and such other committee(s) as it may deem appropriate: The Election Committee, as given in Bylaw 5. The Conference Committee, which shall solicit and evaluate proposals for future conferences and otherwise aid the Conference Coordinator in his/her duties. This committee will prepare recommendations for consideration by the EC with regards to site location, program and conference chairs, and conference policies. This committee will be chaired by the Conference Coordinator and will consist of the Program Chair(s) and Organizing Committee Chair(s) of the past three conferences, along with such other members selected by the EC. This committee is advisory to the EC, and all decisions are ultimately made by the EC. All decisions, policies, and procedures are effective only upon the vote of the EC. Bylaw 7 — Policies and Procedures The Executive Committee shall develop, maintain, and promulgate a Manual of Policies and Procedures. The Manual shall include rules for the operations of committees; procedures for meetings and conferences; procedures for awards; and any other procedures necessary for the efficient running of the Association. Bylaw 8 — Amendments to the Bylaws The Bylaws of the Association may be altered by majority vote of the General Assembly under the process given in Bylaw 2. Bylaw 9 — Transitioning These bylaws are effective January 1, 2008. The Executive Committee as of that date will elect among themselves a President to serve until December 31, 2008. The following are the members of the Executive Committee along with the end of their term:
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ARTICLE 1 : Constitution et dénomination Il est fondé entre les adhérents aux présents statuts une association régie par la loi du 1er juillet 1901 et le décret du 16 août 1901, ayant pour titre :
Association for Constraint Programming (ACP)
ARTICLE 2 : Buts Cette association a pour but de promouvoir la programmation par contraintes dans le monde, son développement et son organisation au niveau recherche académique, son enseignement dans les universités et les écoles d’ingénieurs, sa diffusion dans le monde industriel, et la vulgarisation de son utilisation dans tout type d’applications informatiques.
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ARTICLE 1: Constitution and name An association governed by the French law of July 1, 1901 and the decree of August 16, 1901, entitled:
Association for Constraint Programming (ACP)
is created among members with the present statutes.
ARTICLE 2: Goals The association aims to promote constraint programming in the world, its development and organization at the level of academic research, its teaching in universities and engineering schools, its publicity in the industrial world, and extension of its use in all types of applications.
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The ACP is legally a French organisation, hence the official status are in French. We of course also provide a faithful translation in English of the statutes, as well as the bylaws.
Official Statutes (in French) English Statutes Bylaws
The following is the membership of the Executive Committee from January 1st 2023.
Officers (with starting year of term) President: Gilles Pesant (2023) (email: gilles.pesant@polymtl.ca) Treasurer: Nadjib Lazaar (2025) (email: treasurer@a4cp.org) Secretary: Miquel Bofill (2025) (email: miquel.bofill@udg.edu) Conference Coordinator: Hélène Verhaeghe (2023) (email: helene.verhaeghe@uclouvain.be) Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Delegate: Ines Lynce (2023) (email: ines.lynce@technicoulisboa.pt ) Communications: Roie Zivan (2025) (email: zivanr@bgu.ac.il ) Other members (with starting year of term) Past President: David Bergman (2021) (email: david.bergman@uconn.edu ) Roland Yap (2025) (email: ryap@comp.nus.edu.sg)