21.4.92 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC99/57
ProposalforaCouncilDirectivesupplementing theStatuteforaEuropeanmutualsocietywith
regardtotheinvolvementofemployees
(92/C99/06)
COM(91)273final—SYN391
(SubmittedbytheCommissionon6March1992)
—CouncilDirective77/187/EECof14February
1977ontheapproximation ofthelawsoftheMem­
berStatesrelatingtothesafeguardingofemploy­
ees'rightsintheeventoftransferofundertakings ,
businessesorpartsofbusinesses(4),and
—CouncilDirective.../.../EECof...onthe
establishment ofaEuropeanworkscouncilin
Community-scale undertakingsorgroupsofunder­
takingsforthepurposesofinformingandconsult­
ingemployees(5);
Whereasappropriateprovisionsmustbeadoptedto
ensurethattheemployeesofMEsareproperly
informedandconsultedwheredecisionslikelytoaffect
theirinterestsaretakeninaMemberStateotherthan
thatinwhichtheyareemployed;
Whereasthelaws,regulationsandadministrative provi­
sionsoftheMemberStatesgoverningtheparticipation
ofemployeesinnationalmutualsmaybemadeappli­
cabletoMEs;THECOUNCILOFTHEEUROPEAN COMMUNITIES ,
HavingregardtotheTreatyestablishingtheEuropean
EconomicCommunity,andinparticularArticle54
thereof,
HavingregardtotheproposalfromtheCommission ,
IncooperationwiththeEuropeanParliament,
HavingregardtotheopinionoftheEconomicand
SocialCommittee ,
Whereasinordertoattaintheobjectivessetoutin
Article8aoftheTreaty,Regulation(EEC)No.../...(')
establishesastatuteforaEuropeanmutualsociety
(ME);
WhereasthereareintheMemberStateslaws,regula­
tionsandadministrative provisionsconcerningthe
provisionofinformationtoandtheconsultationofthe
employeesofundertakings ,whatevertheirlegalform;
whereasinsomeMemberStates,thereareprovisions
concerningtheparticipationofemployeesinmutuals;
Whereasitisdesirabletocoordinateinformationand
consultationarrangements atCommunitylevelinorder
todevelopdialoguebetweenthemanagementboards
andadministrative boardsofMEsandemployees;
Whereastherealizationoftheinternalmarketisgiving
risetoaprocessofconcentration andconversionof
mutuals;whereasinordertoensureaharmonious
developmentofeconomicactivities,MEscarryingon
cross-borderactivitiesmustadopt,ifappropriate,apar­
ticipationmodel,or,failingthis,informandconsult
employeesondecisionswhichconcernthem;
WhereasthisDirectivedeterminestheminimumareas
wheretheremustbeinformationandconsultation ,
withoutprejudicetotheapplicationofthefollowing
Directives :
—CouncilDirective75/129/EECof17February
1975ontheapproximation ofthelawsoftheMem­
berStatesrelatingtocollectiveredundancies (2),as
amendedbyDirective.../.../EEC(3),WhereasanMEmaynotberegistereduntilaparticipa­
tionmodelor,intheabsencethereof,anemployee
informationandconsultationsystemandinparticular
aseparatecommitteehasbeenchosen;
Whereas,however,wherenoagreementisreachedprior
toregistrationoftheME,thefounderentitiesshould
proposetothegeneralmeetingcalledtoapprovethe
formationoftheMEcertainrequirementswithrespect
toinformingandconsultingemployees;
Whereastheinformationandconsultation committee
oranyotheralternativebodymustbeinformedand
consultedaboutactivitiesandstrategiesoftheMEcap­
ableofaffectingtheemployees'interests;
Whereasinordertoensuretheproperfunctioningof
theinternalmarketandavoidanyinequalityinthe
(')Seepage40ofthisOfficialJournal—Proposal.
(2)OJNoL48,22.2.1975,p.29.
OCOM(91)292final,15.7.1991.(4)OJNoL61,5.3.1977,p.26.
(5)COM(9Q)581final.

NoC99/58 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 21.4.92
termsofcompetition ,theemployeesoftheMEshould
beguaranteedequivalentlevelsofinformationand
consultation ;
Whereasinordertoallowformoreflexibilitywithres­
pecttosmallMEs,MemberStatesneednotprovidefor
employeerepresentation inMEsemployingfewerthan
50workers;
WhereastheprovisionsofthisDirectiveformanindis­
sociablesupplementtothoseofRegulation(EEC)No
/EEC[onthestatuteforaEuropeanmutual
society];whereasitisthereforenecessarytoensurethat
thetwosetsofprovisionsareappliedconcomitantly ,
HASADOPTEDTHISDIRECTIVE :
Article1
ThisDirectivecoordinatesthelaws,regulationsand
administrative provisionsoftheMemberStatescon­
cerningtheinvolvementofemployeesintheME.
ThisDirectiveisanessentialsupplementtoRegulation
(EEC)No.../...[onthestatuteforaEuropean
mutualsociety].
NoMEmayberegistereduntilaparticipationmodel
or,intheabsencethereof,aninformationandconsul­
tationsystemhasbeenchoseninaccordancewiththe
provisionsofthisDirective.andpracticesoftheMemberStatesshallagreearrange­
mentsforinformingandconsultingtheemployeesof
theME.Theagreementmustbeconcludedinwriting
beforetheMEisregistered.
2.Wherenosuchagreementcanbereached,the
representatives oftheemployeesofthefounderentities
maymakeawrittenstatementsettingoutwhy,intheir
opinion,theformationoftheMEiscontrarytothe
employees'interestsandwhatmeasuresshouldbe
takenwithrespecttotheemployees .
3.Themanagementboardsoradministrative boards
ofthefounderentitiesshalldrawupforsubmissionto
thegeneralmeetingcalledtoapprovetheformationof
theMEareporttowhichisattachedeither
—thetextoftheagreementreferredtoinparagraph 1,
or
—thestatementbytheemployees'representatives
referredtoinparagraph2.
4.Thegeneralmeetingcalledtoapprovetheforma­
tionoftheMEshallratifytheinformationandconsul­
tationarrangements embodiedintheagreement
referredtoinparagraph 1,orwherenoagreementhas
beenreached,shalldecideonthearrangements which
aretoapplytotheMEinthelightofthereportandof
thestatementreferredtoinparagraphs2and3.
5.Thearrangements chosenmaysubsequently be
replacedbyotherarrangements agreedbetweenthe
ME'smanagementboardoradministrative boardand
therepresentatives oftheemployeesoftheME.The
agreementmustbesubmittedtothegeneralmeetingfor
approval.
6.TheprocedurelaiddowninthisArticleshallapply
intheeventofconversionpursuanttoArticle2(2)of
theRegulation(EEC).../...[onthestatutefora
Europeanmutualsociety].
7.IntheeventoftheregisteredofficeofanMEbeing
transferredtoanotherMemberState,theinformation
andconsultationarrangements inexistencebeforethe
transfermaybealteredonlyinaccordancewiththe
procedurelaiddowninthisArticle.Thepartiestothe
negotiationsshallbethemanagementboardorthe
administrative boardoftheMEandtherepresentatives
oftheemployeesoftheME.TITLEI
Participation
Article2
Thelaws,regulationsandadministrative provisionsof
aMemberStategoverningtheparticipationofemploy­
eesinthesupervisoryoradministrative boardsof
nationalmutualsocietiesmaybemadeapplicabletoa
MEwhoseregisteredofficeisinitsterritory.
WheresuchprovisionsarenotappliedtheMember
Stateshalltakethenecessarymeasurestoensureat
leastthattheemployeesoftheMEareinformedand
consultedinaccordancewithArticles3,4and5.
Article4TITLEII
Informationandconsultationarrangements
Article3
1.Themanagementboardsoradministrative boards
ofthefounderentitiesandtherepresentatives ofthe
employeesofthoseentitiesprovidedforbythelaws1.Themanagementboardortheadministrative board
oftheMEshallinformandconsultingoodtimethe
employeesofthatentityatleastinthefollowingareas:

OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC99/59 21.4.92
ticesoftheMemberStatesandincompliancewiththe
followingprinciples :
(a)employees'representatives mustbeelectedineach
MemberStateinwhichtheMEhasestablishments
orsubsidiaries ;
(b)thenumberofrepresentatives soelectedmustas
faraspossiblebeinproportiontothenumberof
employeestheyrepresent;
(c)allemployeesmustbeabletoparticipateinthe
voteirrespectiveoftheirlengthofserviceorthe
numberofhourstheyworkperweek;
(d)theelectionmustbebysecretballot.
2.Theemployees'representatives electedinaccord­
ancewithparagraph 1mayperformtheirfunctions
withintheMEirrespectiveoftherulesgoverningquali­
ficationasanemployees'representative inthelawof
theMemberStateinwhichtheMEhasitsregisteredoffice .(a)anyproposalswhichmightsignificantlyaffectthe
interestsoftheemployeesoftheME,withoutpre­
judicetotheCommunityprovisionsconcerning
informationandconsultation ,andinparticular
Directives 75/129/EEC,77/187/EECand
/EEC[ontheestablishmentofaEuro­
peanworkscouncil];
(b)anyquestionconcerningconditionsofemploy­
ment,inparticularchangesaffectingtheorgan­
izationoftheMEandtheintroduction ofnew
workingmethodsornewproductsand/orservices;
(c)alldocumentssubmittedtotheME'sgeneralmeet­
ing;
(d)theoperationsreferredtoinArticle38(1)ofthe
Regulation(EEC)[onthestatutefora
Europeanmutualsociety].
2.TheemployeesoftheMEshallbeinformedand
consulted :
—withinaseparatecommitteerepresenting the
employeesoftheME,or
—withinanyotherstructureagreedbetweentheman­
agementboardsoradministrative boardsofthe
founderentitiesandtherepresentatives ofthe
employeesofthoseentities.
AMemberStatemayrestrictthischoiceinthecaseof
MEshavingtheirregisteredofficeinitsterritory.
3.InaMEwithfewerthan50employeesthetwopar­
tiestothenegotiationsmaydecidethatsimplified
informationandconsultationarrangementsshouldbe
laiddown,subjecttocompliancewithparagraph 1.TITLEIII
Finalprovisions
Article6
1.MemberStatesshallbringintoforcethelaws,regu­
lationsandadministrative provisionsnecessarytocom­
plywiththisDirectivebefore1January1993.They
shallimmediatelyinformtheCommissionthereof.
WhenMemberStatesadopttheseprovisions,these
shallcontainareferencetothisDirectiveorshallbe
accompaniedbysuchreferenceatthetimeoftheiroffi­
cialpublication .Theprocedureforsuchreferenceshall
beadoptedbyMemberStates.
2.MemberStatesshallcommunicate totheCommis­
sionthemainprovisionsofnationallawwhichthey
adoptinthefieldcoveredbythisDirective.
Article7
ThisDirectiveisaddressedtotheMemberStates.Article5
1.Therepresentatives oftheemployeesoftheME
shallbeelected,andshallbeprovidedwithsuchfacili­
tiesasarenecessarytoenablethemtoperformtheir
dutiesproperly,inaccordancewiththelawsandprac­