European economic interest grouping

A European Economic Interest Grouping (EEIG) is a type of legal entity created on 1985-07-25 under European Community (EC) Council Regulation 2137/85. It is designed to make it easier for companies in different countries to do business together, or to form consortia to take part in EU programmes.

Its activities must be ancillary to those of its members, and, as with a partnership, any profit or loss it makes is attributed to its members. Thus, although it is liable for VAT and employees’ social insurance, it is not liable to corporation tax. It has unlimited liability. It was based on the pre-existing French groupement d´intérêt économique (G.i.e.).

Several thousand EEIGs now exist, active in fields as varied as agricultural marketing, legal advice, research and development, osteopathy, motorcycle preservation and cat-breeding. One of the more famous EEIGs is the Franco-German television channel ARTE. Among other EEIGs:

• European Advertising Lawyers Association (EALA)
• EDCTP: European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership
• EURESA (operational and flexible tool for cooperation and collaboration among ten European insurance companies belonging to the Social Economy)
• Eurocité basque Bayonne - San Sebastian
• European Business School Paris
• Eurostar
• Thalys
• European Vaccine Initiative: European Vaccine Initiative : EVI

Abbreviations

In contrast to the SE and the SCE, the lack of a Latin name for the EEIG lead to different names in the languages of the European Union:

• Bulgarian: Европейско обединение по икономически интереси (ЕОИИ)
• Czech: Evropské hospodářské zájmové sdružení (EHZS)
• Danish: Europæiske økonomiske firmagrupper (EØFG)
• German: Europäische wirtschaftliche Interessenvereinigung (EWIV)
• English: European Economic Interest Grouping (EEIG)
• Estonian: Euroopa majandushuvigrupp (EMHG)
• Finnish: Eurooppalainen taloudellinen etuyhtymä (ETEY)
• French: Groupement européen d'intérêt économique (GEIE)
• Greek: Ευρωπαϊκός Όμιλος Οικονομικού Σκοπού (ΕΟΟΣ)
• Hungarian: Európai gazdasági egyesülés (EGE)
• Irish/Gaelic: Grupail Eorpach um Leas Eacnamaioch (GELE)
• Italian: Gruppo europeo di interesse economico (GEIE)
• Latvian: Eiropas Ekonomisko interešu grupa (EEIG)
• Lithuanian: Europos ekonominių interesų grupė (EEIG)
• Maltese: Grupp Ewropew ta’ Interess Ekonomiku (GEIE)
• Dutch: Europees economisch samenwerkingsverband (EESV)
• Polish: Europejskie ugrupowanie interesów gospodarczych (EUIG)
• Portuguese: Agrupamento Europeu de Interesse Económico (AEIE)
• Romanian: Grup European de Interes Economic (GEIE)
• Swedish: Europeiska ekonomiska intressegrupperingar (EEIG)
• Slovak: Európske zoskupenie hospodárskych záujmov (EZHZ)
• Slovene: Evropsko gospodarsko interesno združenje (EGIZ)
• Spanish: Agrupación europea de interés económico (AEIE)

See also

• European Private Company
• Types of business entity
• European Grouping for Territorial Cooperation
• UK Companies House booklet GPO4