1. The law of the Member State governing each merging cooperative shall apply as in the case of a merger of public limited-liability companies, taking into account the crossborder nature of the merger, with regard to the protection of the interests of:

 - creditors of the merging cooperatives,

 - holders of bonds in the merging cooperatives.

2. A Member State may, in the case of the merging cooperatives governed by its law, adopt provisions designed to ensure appropriate protection for members who have opposed the merger.