Cooperatives in the EU Member States are subject to the provisions of the Council Regulation 1435/2003. However, cooperative legislation is different among the EU states and most countries have specific rules applicable to cooperatives. There are some steps for setting up a cooperative, which are summarized in: Identification of a common economic goal for potential members, decision about the number of members recruited, their rights and responsibilities, determination of business feasibility, development of a business plan, preparation of legal papers and implementation of the business plan. In many European countries, cooperatives can have a legal status either as a cooperative society with limited or unlimited liability, as an economic interest grouping or as a joint-stock company. Most EU Member have no mandatory provision regarding the minimum capital stock or the minimum number of members for setting up a cooperative.