Shareholder’s Right to Pose Questions

A shareholder has the right to pose questions at the general meeting of shareholders. This is the shareholder’s only possibility to demand information about the administration of the company. The shareholder’s right to request information covers only matters which may affect the evaluation of the annual accounts or the financial position of the company or another matter dealt with at the meeting. The right to pose questions also includes group companies, therefore a shareholder in the annual general meeting of the parent company may ask questions related to an affiliate company (if the question is related to a matter dealt with at the meeting for instance the financial position of the company). A shareholder does not have to state the reasons for his/her questions.

The answer to a question may be given orally. If a question of a shareholder can only be answered on the basis of information not available at the meeting, the answer shall be provided in writing within two weeks to a shareholder who has posed the question and to a shareholder who requests such information. The board of directors or the managing director may not, however, give such information the disclosure of which causes essential harm to the company. Such information includes for instance business secrets and knowledge which may affect the competitive position of the company.

The right to pose questions is limited to the general meeting of shareholders only. Hence, a shareholder does not have a continuous right to receive information on the activities of the company.