The Committee on Legal Affairs adopted the\nown-initiative report by Luigi BERLINGUER (S&D, IT) and Regina\nBASTOS (EPP, PT) with recommendations to the Commission on the\nStatute for a European mutual society.
\nThe Committee on Employment and Social Affairs\nexercised its prerogatives as an associated committee under Rule 50 of the Rules of\nProcedure on this report.
\nMembers recall that Parliament has adopted several\nresolutions calling for the adoption of a regulation on the statute\nfor a European mutual society, and they consider it regrettable\nthat the Commission, having withdrawn its proposal for a statute\nfor a European mutual society in 2006, has not brought forward any\nnew proposals which would give mutual societies a suitable legal\ninstrument to facilitate their cross-border activities.
\nThe committee underlined the major role mutual\nsocieties play in the Union's economy by providing health care,\nsocial services and affordable insurance services to more than\n160 million European citizens, representing more than EUR 180\nbillion in insurance premiums and employing over 350 000\npeople.
\nIt insisted, therefore, that mutual societies cannot\ncontinue to be forgotten by the single market and should be\ngiven a European statute to place them on an equal footing with\nother forms of undertaking in the Union, noting also that diversity\nin forms of entrepreneurship is an asset that should be fully\nencouraged.
\nThe statute proposed would create a voluntary\nscheme in the form of an optional instrument allowing mutual\nsocieties to act in different Member States, to be introduced even\nin countries where they do not currently exist.
\nThe committee put forward four detailed draft\nRecommendations for a European mutual society on the following:\n(i) the objectives of the statute; (ii) the elements of a\nstatute; (iii) the scope and coverage of a statute; and (iv)\ngovernance of European mutual societies.
\nThe Committee on Legal Affairs adopted the\nown-initiative report by Luigi BERLINGUER (S&D, IT) and Regina\nBASTOS (EPP, PT) with recommendations to the Commission on the\nStatute for a European mutual society.
\nThe Committee on Employment and Social Affairs\nexercised its prerogatives as an associated committee under Rule 50 of the Rules of\nProcedure on this report.
\nMembers recall that Parliament has adopted several\nresolutions calling for the adoption of a regulation on the statute\nfor a European mutual society, and they consider it regrettable\nthat the Commission, having withdrawn its proposal for a statute\nfor a European mutual society in 2006, has not brought forward any\nnew proposals which would give mutual societies a suitable legal\ninstrument to facilitate their cross-border activities.
\nThe committee underlined the major role mutual\nsocieties play in the Union's economy by providing health care,\nsocial services and affordable insurance services to more than\n160 million European citizens, representing more than EUR 180\nbillion in insurance premiums and employing over 350 000\npeople.
\nIt insisted, therefore, that mutual societies cannot\ncontinue to be forgotten by the single market and should be\ngiven a European statute to place them on an equal footing with\nother forms of undertaking in the Union, noting also that diversity\nin forms of entrepreneurship is an asset that should be fully\nencouraged.
\nThe statute proposed would create a voluntary\nscheme in the form of an optional instrument allowing mutual\nsocieties to act in different Member States, to be introduced even\nin countries where they do not currently exist.
\nThe committee put forward four detailed draft\nRecommendations for a European mutual society on the following:\n(i) the objectives of the statute; (ii) the elements of a\nstatute; (iii) the scope and coverage of a statute; and (iv)\ngovernance of European mutual societies.
\n