{"id":15940,"date":"2024-10-03T11:40:33","date_gmt":"2024-10-03T09:40:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.accountable.eu\/?p=15940"},"modified":"2024-10-03T11:40:35","modified_gmt":"2024-10-03T09:40:35","slug":"cooperative-company","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.accountable.eu\/en-be\/blog\/cooperative-company\/","title":{"rendered":"Setting up a cooperative company: what you need to know"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Planning to become self-employed? The first step is to choose the legal form of your business: natural person sole trader or company. Are you going down the company route? Then you have some choices here too. Each company form has its own rights, obligations and starting conditions. In this article, we look at the cooperative company or SC\/CV, a very specific company form, which might be the perfect match for your vision and goals. Read on to find out!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is a cooperative company?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A cooperative company (\u2018soci\u00e9t\u00e9 coop\u00e9rative\u2019 (SC) \/ \u2018co\u00f6peratieve vennootschap\u2019 (CV)) is founded with the aim of meeting the needs of its shareholders and helping them develop their economic and social activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In more concrete terms, you can set up a cooperative company to collaborate<\/strong> with other people for a societal purpose.<\/strong> This collaboration has a social or economic character.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The priotrity of a cooperative company is not to maximise profits, but rather to achieve a shared objective.<\/strong> This social aspect is essential<\/strong> for starting an SC\/CV.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To create a cooperative company, there needs to be at least three partners.<\/strong> You therefore can\u2019t choose this company form if you don\u2019t (yet) have any partners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How do the various types of cooperatives differ?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Before 1 May 2023, someone wanting to form a cooperative company had the choice between two legal forms: the unlimited liability cooperative company<\/strong> (\u2018soci\u00e9t\u00e9 coop\u00e9rative \u00e0 responsabilit\u00e9 illimit\u00e9e\u2019 (SCRI) \/ \u2018co\u00f6peratieve vennootschap met onbeperkte aansprakelijkheid\u2019 (CVOA)) and the limited liability cooperative company<\/strong> (\u2018soci\u00e9t\u00e9 coop\u00e9rative \u00e0 responsabilit\u00e9 limit\u00e9e\u2019 (SCRL) \/ \u2018vennootschap met beperkte aansprakelijkheid oprichten\u2019 (CVBA)). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the unlimited liability SCRI\/CVOA, the founders were personally and indefinitely liable in the event of financial problems; in the limited liability SCRL\/CVBA, the partners were only liable up to the amount they contributed to the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These two company forms no longer exist in the new Companies Code.<\/strong> Today, any cooperative will be an SC\/CV by default. It\u2019s no longer possible to set up an SCRI\/CVOA or an SCRL\/CVBA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What are the advantages of a cooperative company?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Why choose a cooperative company? The name speaks for itself: it\u2019s an official way to cooperate with other self-employed people and create a positive impact on society.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also has the following advantages:<\/p>\n\n\n\n