Meeting in the Committee on Legal Affairs on Tuesday 13 February, MEPs voted overwhelmingly in favour of the report by Sergey Lagodinsky (Greens/EFA, German) on the creation of a European statute for cross-border associations (known as ECBAs).
This report, the 31 compromise amendments of which were voted on as a package, differs in several respects from the Commission’s proposal unveiled last September (see EUROPE 13243/13).
The approved compromise amendments slightly modify Article 6 of the directive, which sets out the ECBA statutes and their composition, and clarify Article 25, which provides for the possibility of an ECBA being dissolved by the Member State in which it is registered.
MEPs have largely rewritten Article 29: whereas the Commission’s text only provided for an implementation report every five years, the Parliament’s version adds an obligation for Member States to produce an annual report containing a list of the ECBAs registered in their country, as well as a range of information about them.
This report must be submitted to the Commission and to the ECBA Committee, as provided for in the new Article 29a. It foresees the creation of a specific committee to support and guide the Commission in implementing the directive.
The Parliament’s text also introduces a new article, 17a, which makes it possible for two or more not-for-profit associations to merge to form an ECBA.
Registration of associations remains the responsibility of the Member States, which must also set up a national body dedicated to this task, as well as a national register.
The text must now be approved by the full Parliament in plenary session.
See the compromise amendments: https://aeur.eu/f/au5 (Original version in French by Isalia Stieffatre)