the administrative board, as the case may be; secondly, a model in which the employees are represented by a separate body; and finally, other models to be agreed between the management or administrative boards of the founder companies and the employees or their representatives in those companies, the level of information and consultation being the same as in the case of the second model. The general meeting may not approve the formation of an SE unless one of the models of participation defined in the Directive has been chosen. The employees' representatives must be provided with such financial and material resources and other facilities as enable them to perform their duties properly. With regard to a European company formed through a merger, the standard principles relating to worker participation will apply where at least 25% of the employees had the right to participate in decisions before the merger. Here a political agreement proved impossible until the Nice summit in December 2000. The compromise adopted by the Heads of State or Governments allowed a Member State not to apply the Directive to SEs formed from a merger, in which case the SE could not be registered in the Member State in question unless an agreement had been concluded between the management and employees, or that no SE employee had the right of participation before the formation of the SE. Employment contracts and pensions Employment contracts and pensions are not covered by the Directive. With regard to occupational pension schemes, the SE is covered by the provisions laid down in the proposal for a directive on institutions for occupational schemes, presented by the Commission in October 2000, in particular in connection with the possibility of introducing a single pension scheme for all their employees in the European Union. See also European Works Council Societas cooperativa Europaea European economic interest grouping Societas privata Europaea References External links European Company Network working papers Noelle Lenoir's 2007 report on the SE statute, commissioned by the French Minister of Justice Frequently asked questions (the EU website) Les avocats European Company Network papers Website of the European Trade Union Institute on employee involvement in SEs and information on SEs registered Cooperatives in Europe European Union directives Legal entities Types of business entity Corporate law 2001 in law 2001 in the European Union Works council