From February to May 2009, the European Commission carried out a public consultation on the content of a possible European Foundation Statute (EFS) and on how a Statute might affect donors' and founders' attitudes. The consultation aimed to assess the level of demand for the creation of a Statute.

The Commission published on 10 November 2009 the outcomes of the consultation. Results show a strong support for the European Foundation Statute from the non-profit sector. 

Responses will feed into the impact assessment that the Commission will carry out before submitting any legislative proposal for adoption by the EU institutions.  The consultation was launched at the same time as the publication of a Feasibility Study, which states that the European foundation sector is a major economic force and that the Statute provides the most cost-effective policy option for addressing cross-border barriers and stimulating foundations' activities. 

View the contributions of foundations and other stakeholders

> All responses to the consultation as well as an analysis of the contributions are available here 
> Read the EFC-DAFNE statement on the results of the public consultation

EFC's response

On 15 May 2009 the EFC submitted its final contribution to the public consultation on the European Foundation Statute, which builds upon the input received from its members and partners.

The EFC strongly supports the creation of the European Foundation Statute as an optional legal instrument. We trust that the European Commission, based on the clear recommendation of the feasibility study, will complete its impact assessment in 2009 and issue a proposal for a regulation when the new Commission takes office.

> Download the contribution of the EFC here    

Consultation Document

The consultation was based on a questionnaire composed of two parts, namely:  

• Part I contained general questions about the need for and desirability of a new legal form, together with questions about the content of a possible European Foundation Statute. It also included questions targeted specifically at foundations, aimed at getting concrete information about difficulties and hindrances foundations face in the Internal Market, as well as about their interest in a possible statute.

• Part II was targeted at donors to, and founders of, foundations and aimed at obtaining information on how a potential European Foundation Statute might affect founders' and donors' attitudes. Part II took the form of an online questionnaire.

> View the consultation document: here