21.4.92 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC99/37
ProposalforaCouncilDirectivesupplementing thestatuteforaEuropeancooperativesociety
withregardtotheinvolvementofemployees
(92/C99/04)
COM(91)273final—SYN389
(SubmittedbytheCommissionon6March1992)
berStatesrelatingtocollectiveredundancies (2),as
amendedbyDirective.../.../EEC(3),
—CouncilDirective77/187/EECof14February
1977ontheapproximation ofthelawsoftheMem­
berStatesrelatingtothesafeguardingofemploy­
ees'rightsintheeventoftransfersofundertakings
businessesorpartsofbusinesses(4),
—CouncilDirective../.../EECof...onthe
establishment ofaEuropeanWorksCouncilin
Community-scale undertakingsorgroupsofunder­
takingsforthepurposesofinformingandconsult­
ingemployees(5);
Whereasappropriateprovisionsmustbeadoptedto
ensurethattheemployeesofSCEsareproperly
informedandconsultedwheredecisionslikelytoaffect
theirinterestsaretakeninaMemberStateotherthan
thatinwhichtheyareemployed ;
Whereasthelaws,regulationsandadministrative provi­
sionsoftheMemberStatesgoverningtheparticipation
ofemployeesinnationalcooperativesmaybemade
applicabletoSCEs;
WhereasanSCEmaynotberegistereduntilapartici­
pationmodelor,intheabsencethereof,anemployee
informationandconsultationsystemandinparticular
aseparatecommitteehasbeenchosen;
Whereas,however,wherenoagreementisreachedprior
toregistrationoftheSCE,thefounderentitiesshould
proposetothegeneralmeetingcalledtoapprovethe
formationoftheSCEcertainrequirementswithrespect
toinformingandconsultingemployees ;
Whereastheinformationandconsultation committee
oranyotheralternativebodymustbeinformedand
consultedaboutactivitiesandstrategiesoftheSCE
capableofaffectingtheemployees'interests;
Whereasinordertoensuretheproperfunctioningof
theinternalmarketandavoidanyinequalityintheTHECOUNCILOFTHEEUROPEAN COMMUNITIES ,
HavingregardtotheTreatyestablishingtheEuropean
EconomicCommunityandinparticularArticle54
thereof,
HavingregardtotheproposalfromtheCommission ,
IncooperationwiththeEuropeanParliament,
HavingregardtotheopinionoftheEconomicand
SocialCommittee ,
Whereas,inordertoattaintheobjectivessetoutin
Article8aoftheTreaty,Regulation(EEC)No...(')
establishesastatuteforaEuropeancooperativesociety
(SCE);
WhereasthereareintheMemberStateslaws,regula­
tionsandadministrative provisionsconcerningthe
provisionofinformationtoandtheconsultationofthe
employeesofundertakings ,whatevertheirlegalform;
whereasinsomeMemberStates,thereareprovisions
concerningtheparticipationofemployeesincoopera­
tives;
Whereasitisdesirabletocoordinateinformation and
consultationarrangements atCommunitylevelinorder
todevelopdialoguebetweenthemanagementboards
andadministrative boardsofSCEsandemployees ;
Whereastherealizationoftheinternalmarketisgiving
risetoaprocessofconcentration andconversionof
cooperatives ;whereasinordertoensureaharmonious
developmentofeconomicactivities,SCEscarryingon
cross-borderactivitiesmustadopt,ifappropriate ,apar­
ticipationmodel,or,failingthis,informandconsult
employeesondecisionswhichconcernthem;
WhereasthisDirectivedeterminestheminimumareas
wheretheremustbeinformationandconsultation ,
withoutprejudicetotheapplicationofthefollowing
Directives :
—CouncilDirective75/129/EECof17February
1975ontheapproximation ofthelawsoftheMem­(2)OJNoL48,22.2.1975,p.29.
(3)COM(91)292final,15.7.1991.
(4)OJNoL61,5.3.1977,p.26.
(5)CQM(90)581final. (')Seepage17ofthisOfficialJournal.

NoC99/38 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 21.4.92
termsofcompetition ,theemployeesoftheSCEshould
beguaranteedequivalentlevelsofinformationand
consultation ;
Whereasinordertoallowformoreflexibilitywithres­
pecttosmallSCEs,MemberStatesneednotprovide
foremployeerepresentation inSCEsemployingfewer
than50workers;
WhereastheprovisionsofthisDirectiveformanindis­
sociablesupplementtothoseofRegulation(EEC)No
[onthestatuteforaEuropeancooperative
society];whereasitisthereforenecessarytoensurethat
thetwosetsofprovisionsareappliedconcomitantly ,
HASADOPTEDTHISDIRECTIVE :
Article1
ThisDirectivecoordinatesthelaws,regulationsand
administrative provisionsoftheMemberStatescon­
cerningtheinvolvementofemployeesintheSCE.
ThisDirectiveisanessentialsupplementtoRegulation
(EEC)No [onthestatuteforaEuropean
cooperativesociety].
NoSCEmayberegistereduntilaparticipationmodel
or,intheabsencethereof,aninformationandconsul­
tationsystemhasbeenchoseninaccordancewiththe
provisionsofthisDirective .mentsforinformingandconsultingtheemployeesof
theSCE.Theagreementmustbeconcludedinwriting
beforetheSCEisregistered .
2.Wherenosuchagreementcanbereachedtherepre­
sentativesoftheemployeesofthefounderentitiesmay
makeawrittenstatementsettingoutwhyintheiropi­
niontheformationoftheSCEiscontrarytothe
employees'interestsandwhatmeasuresshouldbe
takenwithrespecttotheemployees .
3.Themanagementboardsoradministrative boards
ofthefounderentitiesshalldrawupforsubmissionto
thegeneralmeetingcalledtoapprovetheformationof
theSCEareporttowhichisattachedeither
—thetextoftheagreementreferredtoinparagraph 1,
or
—thestatementbytheemployees'representatives
referredtoinparagraph2.
4.Thegeneralmeetingcalledtoapprovetheforma­
tionoftheSCEshallratifytheinformationandconsul­
tationarrangements embodiedintheagreement
referredtoinparagraph 1,orwherenoagreementhas
beenreached,shalldecideonthearrangements which
aretoapplytotheSCEinthelightofthereportandof
thestatementreferredtoinparagraphs2and3.
5.Thearrangements chosenmaysubsequently be
replacedbyotherarrangements agreedbetweenthe
SCE'smanagementboardoradministrative boardand
therepresentatives oftheemployeesoftheSCE.The
agreementmustbesubmittedtothegeneralmeetingfor
approval.
6.TheprocedurelaiddowninthisArticleshallapply
intheeventofconversionpursuanttoArticle9(2)of
theRegulation(EEC)../...[onthestatutefora
Europeancooperativesociety].
7.IntheeventoftheregisteredofficeofanSCE
beingtransferredtoanotherMemberState,theinfor­
mationandconsultationarrangements inexistence
beforethetransfermaybealteredonlyinaccordance
withtheprocedurelaiddowninthisArticle.Thepar­
tiestothenegotiationsshallbethemanagementboard
ortheadministrative boardoftheSCEandtherepre­
sentativesoftheemployeesoftheSCE.TITLEI
Participation
Article2
Thelaws,regulationsandadministrative provisionsof
aMemberStategoverningtheparticipationofemploy­
eesinthesupervisoryoradministrative boardsof
nationalcooperativesocietiesmaybemadeapplicable
toanSCEwhoseregisteredofficeisinitsterritory.
WheresuchprovisionsarenotappliedtheMember
Stateshalltakethenecessarymeasurestoensureat
leastthattheemployeesoftheSCEareinformedand
consultedinaccordancewithArticles3,4and5.
TITLEII
Informationandconsultationarrangements
Article3
1.Themanagementboardsoradministrative boards
ofthefounderentitiesandtherepresentatives ofthe
employeesofthoseentitiesprovidedforbythelaws
andpracticesoftheMemberStatesshallagreearrange­Article4
1.Themanagementboardortheadministrative board
oftheSCEshallinformandconsultingoodtimethe
employeesofthatentityatleastinthefollowingareas:
(a)anyproposalswhichmightsignificantlyaffectthe
interestsoftheemployeesoftheSCE,withoutpre­

21.4.92 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC99/39
(b)thenumberofrepresentatives soelectedmustas
faraspossiblebeinproportiontothenumberof
employeestheyrepresent;
(c)allemployeesmustbeabletoparticipateinthe
voteirrespectiveoftheirlengthorserviceorthe
numberofhourstheyworkperweek;
(d)theelectionmustbebysecretballot.
2.Theemployees'representatives electedinaccord­
ancewithparagraph 1mayperformtheirfunctions
withintheSCEirrespectiveoftherulesgoverningqual­
ificationasanemployees'representative inthelawof
theMemberStateinwhichtheSCEhasitsregisteredoffice .judicetotheCommunityprovisionsconcerning
informationandconsultation ,andinparticular
Directives75/129/EEC,77/187/EECand.../
EEC[ontheestablishmentofaEuropeanworks
council];
(b)anyquestionconcerningconditionsofemploy­
ment,inparticularchangesaffectingtheorgan­
izationoftheSCEandtheintroductionofnew
workingmethodsornewproductsand/orservices;
(c)alldocumentssubmittedtotheSCE'sgeneral
meeting;
(d)theoperationsreferredtoinArticle43(1)ofthe
Regulation(EEC)...[onthestatuteforaEuro­
peancooperativesociety].
2.TheemployeesoftheSCEshallbeinformedand
consulted :
—withinaseparatecommitteerepresentingthe
employeesoftheSCE,or
—withinanyotherstructureagreedbetweentheman­
agementboardsoradministrative boardsofthe
founderentitiesandtherepresentatives ofthe
employeesofthoseentities.
AMemberStatemayrestrictthischoiceinthecaseof
SCEshavingtheirregisteredofficeinitsterritory.
3.InanSCEwithfewerthan50employeesthetwo
partiestothenegotiationsmaydecidethatsimplified
informationandconsultationarrangements shouldbe
laiddown,subjecttocompliancewithparagraph 1.TITLEIII
Finalprovisions
Article6
TheprovisionsofTitlesIandIIshallnotbeapplicable
wherethemajorityoftheemployeesoftheSCEare
alsomembersthereof.
Article7
1.MemberStatesshallbringintoforcethelaws,regu­
lationsandadministrative provisionsnecessarytocom­
plywiththisDirectivebefore1January1993.They
shallimmediatelyinformtheCommissionthereof.
WhenMemberStatesadopttheseprovisions,these
shallcontainareferencetothisDirectiveorshallbe
accompanied bysuchreferenceatthetimeoftheiroffi­
cialpublication .Theprocedureforsuchreferenceshall
beadoptedbyMemberStates.
2.MemberStatesshallcommunicate totheCommis­
sionthemainprovisionsofnationallawwhichthey
adoptinthefieldcoveredbythisDirective.
Article8
ThisDirectiveisaddressedtotheMemberStates.Article5
1.Therepresentatives oftheemployeesoftheSCE
shallbeelected,andshallbeprovidedwithsuchfacili­
tiesasarenecessarytoenablethemtoperformtheir
dutiesproperly,inaccordancewiththelawsandprac­
ticesoftheMemberStatesandincompliancewiththe
followingprinciples :
(a)employees'representatives mustbeelectedineach
MemberStateinwhichtheSCEhasestablishments
orsubsidiaries ;