Frequently asked questions

Under Article 19 of the Articles of Association, shareholders may attend and vote at any Shareholders’ Meeting, in person or by proxy, pursuant to Article L. 225-106 of the French Commercial Code.

Shareholders are entitled to attend Shareholders’ Meetings insofar as the shares they own are fully accounted for, as follows, by the regulatory deadline (Article R 225-85 of the French Commercial Code):

• owners of registered shares (actions nominatives) must have their shares registered in the Company’s accounts by the deadline; and
• owners of bearer shares (actions au porteur) must have their shares recorded in the accounts of their authorised intermediary by the deadline. The holding of bearer shares with an authorized intermediary is evidenced by an ownership certificate issued by said intermediary.

In accordance with the provisions of Article R. 225-85 of the French Commercial Code, as amended by decree no. 2014-1466 of 8 December 2014, shares must be fully accounted for no later than 0:00 hours (Paris time) on the second business day before the Meeting. Amendments to the Articles of Association will be proposed at the next Shareholders’ Meeting to ensure that the Company’s Articles of Association reflect this mandatory change.

Shareholders may be represented by another shareholder, their spouse, their civil partner or any other natural or legal person of their choice. Shareholders may also vote by post, or electronically if applicable and subject to prior consent by the Board of Directors, using a form sent to them at their request as specified in the preliminary notice and in the Notice of Meeting, in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.
Shareholders may send in and revoke their proxy forms electronically. Pursuant to the Board of Directors’ decision indicated in the preliminary notice and the Notice of Meeting, the electronic signature of this form may be either a secure electronic signature as defined in Decree 2001-272 of 30 March 2001 adopted in application of Article 1316-4 of the French Civil Code concerning electronic signatures, or provided using some other reliable identification process that meets the requirements of the first sentence of the second paragraph of the aforementioned Article 1316-4. A shareholder’s attendance at a Shareholders’ Meeting shall invalidate any vote made by post, electronically or by proxy. In the event of a conflict between a proxy vote and a postal vote, the proxy vote will have priority, regardless of when the votes were cast. Voting forms sent in by post will not count towards the quorum unless they are duly completed and received by the Company at least three calendar days before the date of the Shareholders’ Meeting. Voting instructions granting proxy or power of attorney that are sent in electronically as laid down in law and as determined by the Board of Directors shall be executed if received by the Company by 3:00 p.m. Paris time the day before the Shareholders’ Meeting.