Eurode Business Center
The Eurode Business Center (EBC) is the prototype of a smaller cross-border service center. The building complex lies on and on both sides of the German-Dutch border in the cities of Herzogenrath (D) and Kerkrade (NL) not far from the Rolduc monastery . It was inaugurated in 2001.
history
It was the first service center in Europe located on a state border and was therefore financially supported by the EU within the framework of the INTERREG funding program. The two cities of Kerkrade and Herzogenrath as well as the two regional business development agencies AGIT (for the IHK district and the Aachen region ) and the Limburg economic development company LIOF act as initiators of the project . As a pilot project, it was intended to provide information about the necessities, possibilities and difficulties involved in a number of cross-border activities and can therefore be viewed as a kind of "field trial" which should serve to bring the EU members together and to harmonize the law. After a comprehensive location analysis, a joint site between the cities of Herzogenrath (D) and Kerkrade (NL) was selected as the location for the EBC building. In both cities, the Eurode special purpose association has been practicing cross-border cooperation in the areas of culture, economy and infrastructure for a long time.
function
The usable area of the building complex is around 3600 to 3700 square meters. These are rented and used by various companies and institutions. According to the AGIT, the range of industries includes companies from information technology (IT) as well as those from other areas such as telecommunications, multimedia and other areas predominantly in the tertiary economic sector. A law firm, postal and financial services can be found there as well as research and development offices, some of which belong to larger companies. According to AGIT, the Eurode Business Center is a suitable location for both start-ups and established companies. The “as well as” nature of the infrastructure and other aspects can be seen as a particular locational advantage. Because here you have the opportunity to be on site with a single office in two countries at the same time. Furthermore, access to both the German and the Dutch telecommunications network is equally possible. The border gaps that still exist today at state borders due to different national regulations can at least partially be used for the benefit of companies and therefore offer another location advantage. In addition, there is considerable potential for optimization with regard to the following aspects that are quite relevant for a company:
- Direct and indirect taxation
- Legal form of the company
- Works constitution law
- Design of the company organization, also from a legal point of view.
The Dutch Bureau voor Duitse Zaken for the South Limburg area and German cross-border commuter advice centers hold consultation hours and advisory events for cross-border commuters in the Eurode Business Center.
Since 2005, a German-Dutch “tax agreement for the settlement of companies on cross-border business parks”, which was agreed between the Federal Republic of Germany and the Netherlands and was not least based on the experience gained with the EBC, has been in force. This agreement makes it possible, for example, to avoid double taxation of a company, which would otherwise be an economic disadvantage. The agreement also allows more flexible allocation of office space in the EBC. For example, a company with a Dutch legal form can now also rent commercial space or premises on the German side without necessarily requiring a German legal form, as was customary before 2005. Nevertheless, further steps are required towards the legal harmonization of Europe, which can be seen again and again in practice based on the example of the EBC. With regard to such a harmonization of conditions in Europe, the EBC has already been able to make a contribution that should not be underestimated, similar to what the German-Dutch business park Avantis , which is just a few kilometers further and also cross-border, does. According to the House of the Netherlands in Münster, there is consequently the possibility that the companies there will be classified as “transnational” and therefore have two legal entities. Then such a company exists both as a registered GmbH on the German side and at the same time as a BV ( Besloten Venootschap ) on the Dutch side. Such companies are then able to use the respective advantages of both countries in many areas.
Cross-border police cooperation
The EBC is also of certain importance in the context of cross-border police cooperation within the Euregio Meuse-Rhine , because this is where the common contact point Herzogenrath - Kerkrade is located , a bilateral police station that serves as a contact point for Dutch and Germans alike, and the relevant cross-border cooperation should promote confidence-building measures. Both Dutch and German police officers do their job there together.
credentials
- ↑ cf. AGIT portal (EBC) ( Memento of the original from October 8, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. ; and AGIT portal (EBC details) ( Memento of the original from May 24, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ See EBC on the official website of the city of Herzogenrath ( see above )
- ↑ cf. For example, http://www.svb.nl/internet/de/internationaal/bdz/ talk hours.jsp#5 ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Web portal Bureau voor Duitse Zaken
- ↑ cf. AGIT portal (EBC) ( Memento of the original from October 8, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ See website for the cross-border police station in the EBC in the web portal of the North Rhine-Westphalia Police.
Coordinates: 50 ° 51 ′ 45.3 " N , 6 ° 4 ′ 51.8" E