text: National law continues to supplement the basic rules in the Regulation on formation and mergers. The European Company Regulation is complemented by an Employee Involvement Directive which manages the rules for participation by employees on the company's board of directors. There is also a statute allowing European Cooperative Societies.
  Main provisions
  Formation
  The statute provides five ways of forming a European limited company:
  By merger of national companies from different member states
  By creation of a European limited company as a parent company in a holding structure of joint stock companies and limited liability companies from different member states
  By the creation of a joint venture between companies (or other entities) in different member states
  By the creation of an SE subsidiary of a national company
  By the conversion of a national company into an SE
  Formation by merger is available only to public limited companies from different member states. Formation of an SE holding company is available to public and private limited companies with their registered offices in different member states or having subsidiaries or branches in member states other than that of their registered office. Formation of a joint subsidiary is available under the same circumstances to any legal entities governed by public or private law.