Statute for a European company: involvement of employees

The Commission took up a number of the European Parliament's amendments in its amended proposal. These include: - the General Meeting may not approve the formation of an SE unless one of the models of participation defined in the Directive has been approved; - negotiations with respect to the model of participation will take place between the management of the founding companies and the employees' representatives in these companies; - the measures concerning the informing of the General Meeting on the negotiations, in particular when they do not result in an agreement are strengthened: the written position of the employees' representatives should clearly indicate not only why the creation of the SE would damage their interests, but also what measures need to be taken in their respect; - measures are introduced to avoid that the transfer of the seat of the SE from one Member State to another deprives the employees of the participation model to which they were originally linked; - the drafting of the provisions relating to the co-opting system is improved to clarify to simplify this procedure which was felt to be too complicated in its original version; - the various possible models see their equivalence strengthened, in particular by the transposition in the Directive of measures relating to the SE concerning information to be provided by the management board, supervisory board and within the administrative board; - certain basic principles of the selection of employee representatives are laid down: election and non-designation, secret ballot, the practical measures defined in line with the national legislation of the country in which the SE has its seat; - the material resources available to employee representatives are enhanced (e.g. assistance from experts).�