It is also necessary to stress that, in this period, the EURATOM founder countries have sought to very strictly control and regulate atomic energy development in the European Union, and they have complemented the EURATOM Treaty with new legislation.

The Commission shall notify this decision to the beneficiary country concerned and shall publish a notice in the Official Journal of the European Communities, announcing that it intends to submit a proposal to the Council for temporary withdrawal, unless, before the end of the period, the beneficiary country concerned made a commitment to take the measures necessary to conform, in a reasonable period of time, with the principles referred to in the 1998 ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work.

- Co-financing for participation in a Community programme must take the form of financial support over three years, to be paid to the recipient country at the beginning of the period.

If, in order to vote or to stand as candidates, nationals of the EU country of residence are required to have been resident for a minimum period, EU citizens from outside the country may count an equivalent period spent in other EU countries towards the requirement.

2. Application of Netherlands legislation on general old-age insurance (a) Periods of insurance before 1 January 1957 during which a recipient, not satisfying the conditions permitting him to have such periods treated as periods of insurance, resided in the territory of the Netherlands after the age of 15 or during which, whilst residing in the territory of another Member State, he pursued an activity as an employed person in the Netherlands for an employer established in that country, shall also be considered as periods of insurance completed in application of Netherlands legislation for general old-age insurance.

(a) Insurance periods before 1 January 1957 during which a recipient, not satisfying the conditions permitting him to have such periods treated as insurance periods, resided in the territory of the Netherlands after the age of 15 or during which, whilst residing in the territory of another Member State, he pursued an activity as an employed person in the Netherlands for an employer established in that country, shall also be considered as insurance periods completed in application of Netherlands legislation for general old-age insurance.