NoC99/14 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 21.4.92
ProsoposalforaCouncilDirectivesupplementing thestatuteforaEuropeanassociationwith
regardtotheinvolvementofemployees
(92/C99/02)
COM(91)273final—SYN387
(SubmittedbytheCommissionon6.March1992)
—CouncilDirective77/187/EECof14February
1977ontheapproximation ofthelawsoftheMem­
berStatesrelatingtothesafeguardingofemploy­
ees'rightsintheeventoftransfersofundertakings ,
businessesorpartsofbusinesses(4),and
—CouncilDirective .../EEContheestablishment of
aEuropeanWorksCouncilinCommunity-scale
undertakingsorgroupsofundertakingsforthepur­
posesofinformingandconsultingemployees(5);
Whereasappropnateprovisionsmustbeadoptedto
ensurethattheemployeesofEAsareproperly
informedandconsultedwheredecisionslikelytoaffect
theirinterestsaretakeninaMemberStateotherthan
thatinwhichtheyareemployed;
Whereasthelaws,regulationsandadministrative provi­
sionsoftheMemberStatesgoverningtheparticipation
ofemployeesincertainnationallegalentitiesmaybe
madeapplicabletoEAs;THECOUNCILOFTHEEUROPEAN COMMUNITIES ,
HavingregardtotheTreatyestablishingtheEuropean
EconomicCommunity ,andinparticularArticle54
thereof,
HavingregardtotheproposalfromtheCommission ,
IncooperationwiththeEuropeanParliament,
HavingregardtotheopinionoftheEconomicand
SocialCommittee ,
Whereasinordertoattaintheobjectivessetoutin
Article8aoftheTreaty,Regulation(EEC)No...(')
establishesaStatuteforaEuropeanassociation(EA);
WhereasthereareintheMemberStateslaws,regula­
tionsandadministrative provisionsconcerningthe
provisionofinformationtoandtheconsultationofthe
employeesofundertakings ,whatevertheirlegalform;
whereasinsomeMemberStates,thereareprovisions
concerningtheparticipationofemployeesincertain
legalentities;
Whereasitisdesirabletocoordinateinformationand
consultationarrangementsatCommunitylevelinorder
todevelopdialoguebetweentheexecutivecommittee
ofEAsandemployees ;
Whereastherealizationoftheinternalmarketisgiving
risetoaprocessofconcentrationandconversionof
associations ;whereasinordertoensureaharmonious
developmentofeconomicactivities,EAscarryingon
crossborderactivitiesmustadopt,ifappropriate,apar­
ticipationmodel,or,failingthis,informandconsult
employeesondecisionswhichconcernthem;
WhereasthisDirectivedeterminestheminimumareas
wheretheremustbeinformationandconsultation ,
withoutprejudicetotheapplicationofthefollowing
Directives :
—CouncilDirective75/129/EECof17February
1975ontheapproximation ofthelawsoftheMem­
berStatesrelatingtocollectiveredundancies (2),as
amendedbyDirective.../.../EEC(3),WhereasanEAmaynotberegistereduntilaparticipa­
tionmodelor,intheabsencethereof,anemployee
informationandconsultationsystemandinparticular
aseparatecommitteehasbeenchosen;
WhereasthenaturalpersonswhofoundedtheEAor,
wherenoagreementisreachedpriortoregistrationof
theEA,thefounderentitiesshouldproposetothegen­
eralmeetingcalledtoapprovetheformationoftheEA
certainrequirementswithrespecttoinformingandcon­
sultingemployees ;
Whereastheinformation andconsultation committee
oranyotheralternativebodymustbeinformedand
consultedaboutactivitiesandstrategiesoftheEAcap­
ableofaffectingemployees'interests;
Whereasinordertoensuretheproperfunctioningof
theinternalmarketandavoidanyinequalityinthe
termsofcompetition ,theemployeesoftheEAshould
beguaranteedequivalentlevelsofinformationand
consultation ;
(')Seepage1ofthisOfficialJournal.0OJNoL48,22.2.1975,p.29.0COM(91)292final,15.7.1991.(4)OJNoL61,5.3.1977,p.26.0COM(9Q)581final.

21.4.92 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC99/15
2.WheretheEAisformedsolelybynaturalpersons,
thosepersonsshalllaydowninformationandconsul­
tationproceduresonthebasisoftherequirementswith
respecttoinformingandconsultingemployeessetout
inArticle4(1);thoseproceduresmustbesubmittedto
thegeneralmeetingcalledtoapprovetheformationof
theEA.Whereasinordertoallowformoreflexibilitywithres­
pecttosmallEAs,MemberStatesneednotprovidefor
employeerepresentation inEAsemployingfewerthan
50workers;
WhereastheprovisionsofthisDirectiveformanindis­
sociablesupplementtothoseofRegulation(EEC)No
.../92[ontheStatuteforaEuropeanassociation];
whereasitisthereforenecessarytoensurethatthetwo
setsofprovisionsareappliedconcomitantly ,
HASADOPTEDTHISDIRECTIVE :3.Whereinthecircumstances describedinparagraph
1noagreementcanbereached,therepresentatives of
theemployeesofthefounderentitiesmaymakeawrit­
tenstatementsettingoutwhyintheiropinionthefor­
mationoftheEAiscontrarytotheemployees'interests
andwhatmeasuresshouldbetakenwithrespecttothe
employees .Article1
ThisDirectivecoordinatesthelaws,regulationsand
administrative provisionsoftheMemberStatescon­
cerningtheinvolvementofemployeesintheEA.
ThisDirectiveisanessentialsupplementtoRegulation
(EEC)No.../92[ontheStatuteforaEuropeanasso­
ciation].
NoEAmayberegistereduntilaparticipationmodel
or,intheabsencethereof,aninformationandconsul­
tationsystemhasbeenchoseninaccordancewiththe
provisionsofthisDirective.4.Theexecutivecommitteesofthefounderentities
shalldrawupforsubmissiontothegeneralmeeting
calledtoapprovetheformationoftheEAareportto
whichisattachedeither:
—thetextoftheagreementreferredtoinparagraph 1,
or
—thestatementbytheemployees'representatives
referredtoinparagraph3.
5.Thegeneralmeetingcalledtoapprovetheforma­
tionoftheEAshallratifytheinformationandconsul­
tationarrangements embodiedintheagreement
referredtoinparagraph 1,or,wherenoagreementhas
beenreached,shalldecideonthearrangements which
aretoapplytotheEAinthelightofthereportandof
thestatementreferredtoinparagraphs3and4.TITLEI
Participation
Article2
Thelaws,regulationsandadministrative provisionsof
aMemberStategoverningtheparticipationofemploy­
eesinthesupervisoryoradministrative boardsof
nationalcompaniesmaybemadeapplicabletoanEA
whoseregisteredofficeisinitsterritory.
WheresuchprovisionsarenotappliedtheMember
Stateshalltakethenecessarymeasurestoensureat
leastthattheemployeesoftheEAareinformedand
consultedinaccordancewithArticles3,4and5.6.Thearrangements chosenmaysubsequently be
replacedbyotherarrangements agreedbetweenthe
EA'sexecutivecommitteeandtherepresentatives of
theemployeesoftheEA.Theagreementmustbesub­
mittedtothegeneralmeetingforapproval.
7.TheprocedurelaiddowninthisArticleshallapply
intheeventofconversionpursuanttoArticle3(2)of
theRegulation(EEC).../..[ontheStatuteforaEuro­
peanassociation].TITLEII
Informationandconsultationarrangements
Article3
1.Theexecutivecommitteesofthefounderentities
andtherepresentatives oftheemployeesofthoseenti­
tiesprovidedforbythelawsandpracticesoftheMem­
berStatesshallagreearrangements forinformingand
consultingtheemployeesoftheEA.Theagreement
mustbeconcludedinwritingbeforetheEAisregis­
tered.8.IntheeventoftheregisteredofficeofaEAbeing
transferredtoanotherMemberState,theinformation
andconsultationarrangements inexistencebeforethe
transfermaybealteredonlyinaccordancewiththe
procedurelaiddowninthisArticle.Thepartiestothe
negotiationsshallbetheexecutivecommitteeofthe
EAandtherepresentatives oftheemployeesoftheEA.

NoC99/16 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 21.4.92
tiesasarenecessarytoenablethemtoperformtheir
dutiesproperly,inaccordancewiththelawsandprac­
ticesoftheMemberStatesandincompliancewiththe
followingprinciples :
(a)employees'representatives mustbeelectedineach
MemberStateinwhichtheEAhasestablishments ;
(b)thenumberofrepresentatives soelectedmustas
faraspossiblebeinproportiontothenumberof
employeestheyrepresent;
(c)allemployeesmustbeabletoparticipateinthe
voteirrespectiveoftheirlengthofserviceorthe
numberofhourstheyworkperweek;
(d)theelectionmustbebysecretballot.
2.Theemployees'representatives electedinaccord­
ancewithparagraph 1mayperformtheirfunctions
withintheEAirrespectiveoftherulesgoverningquali­
ficationasanemployees'representative inthelawof
theMemberStateinwhichtheEAhasitsregisteredoffice .Article4
1.TheexecutivecommitteeoftheEAshallinform
andconsultingoodtimetheemployeesofthatentity
atleastinthefollowingareas:
(a)anyproposalswhichmightsignificantlyaffectthe
interestsoftheemployeesoftheEA,withoutpre­
judicetotheCommunityprovisionsconcerning
informationandconsultation ,andinparticular
Directives75/129/EEC,77/187/EECand.../
EEC[ontheestablishmentofaEuropeanWorks
Council];
(b)anyquestionconcerningconditionsofemploy­
ment,inparticularchangesaffectingtheorgan­
izationoftheEAandtheintroductionofnew
workingmethodsornewproductsand/orservices;
(c)alldocumentssubmittedtotheEA'sgeneralmeet­
ing;
(d)theoperationsreferredtoinArticle30(1)ofthe
Regulation(EEC)...[ontheStatuteforaEuro­
peanassociation].
2.TheemployeesoftheEAshallbeinformedand
consulted :
—withinaseparatecommitteerepresentingthe
employeesoftheEA,or
—withinanyotherstructureagreedbetweentheexec­
utivecommitteesofthefounderentitiesandthe
representatives oftheemployeesofthoseentities.
AMemberStatemayrestrictthischoiceinthecaseof
EAshavingtheirregisteredofficeinitsterritory.
3.InanEAwithfewerthan50employeesthetwo
partiestothenegotiationsmaydecidethatsimplified
informationandconsultationarrangements shouldbe
laiddown,subjecttocompliancewithparagraph 1.
Article5
1.Therepresentatives oftheemployeesoftheEA
shallbeelected,andshallbeprovidedwithsuchfacili­TITLEIII
Finalprovisions
Article6
1.MemberStatesshallbringintoforcethelaws,regu­
lationsandadministrative provisionsnecessarytocom­
plywiththisDirectivebefore1January1993.They
shallimmediatelyinformtheCommissionthereof.
WhenMemberStatesadopttheseprovisions,these
shallcontainareferencetothisDirectiveorshallbe
accompanied bysuchreferenceatthetimeoftheiroffi­
cialpublication .Theprocedureforsuchreferenceshall
beadoptedbyMemberStates.
2.MemberStatesshallcommunicate totheCommis­
sionthemainprovisionsofnationllawwhichthey
adoptinthefieldcoveredbythisDirective.
Article7
ThisDirectiveisaddressedtotheMemberStates.