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Article 52 Competence
The general meeting shall decide on matters for which it is given sole responsibility by:
(a) this Regulation; or
(b) the legislation of the Member State in which the SCE's registered office is situated, adopted under Directive 2003/72/EC.
Furthermore, the general meeting shall decide on matters for which responsibility is given to the general meeting of a cooperative governed by the law of the Member State in which the SCE's registered office is situated, either by the law of that Member State or by the SCE's statutes in accordance with that law.

Article 53 Conduct of general meetings
Without prejudice to the rules laid down in this section, the organisation and conduct of general meetings together with voting procedures shall be governed by the law applicable to cooperatives in the Member State in which the SCE's registered office is situated.

Article 54 Holding of general meetings
1. An SCE shall hold a general meeting at least once each calendar year, within six months of the end of its financial year, unless the law of the Member State in which the SCE's registered office is situated applicable to cooperatives carrying on the same type of activity as the SCE provides for more frequent meetings. A Member State may, however, provide that the first general meeting may be held at any time in the 18 months following an SCE's incorporation.
2. General meetings may be convened at any time by the management organ or the administrative organ, the supervisory organ or any other organ or competent authority in accordance with the national law applicable to cooperatives in the Member State in which the SCE's registered office is situated. The management organ shall be bound to convene a general meeting at the request of the supervisory organ.
3. The agenda for the general meeting held after the end of the financial year shall include at least the approval of the annual accounts and the allocation of profits.
4. The general meeting may in the course of a meeting decide that a further meeting be convened and set the date and the agenda.

Article 55 Meeting called by a minority of members
Members of the SCE who together number more than 5000, or who have at least 10 % of the total number of the votes, may require the SCE to convene a general meeting and may draw up its agenda. The above proportions may be reduced by the statutes.

Article 56 Notice of meeting
1. A general meeting shall be convened by a notice in writing sent by any available means to every person entitled to attend the SCE's general meeting in accordance with Article 58(1) and (2) and the provisions of the statutes. That notice may be given by publication in the official internal publication of the SCE.
2. The notice calling a general meeting shall give at least the following particulars:
- the name and registered office of the SCE,
- the venue, date and time of the meeting,
- where appropriate, the type of general meeting,
- the agenda, indicating the subjects to be discussed and the proposals for decisions.
3. The period between the date of dispatch of the notice referred to in paragraph 1 and the date of the opening of the general meeting shall be at least 30 days. It may, however, be reduced to 15 days in urgent cases. Where Article 61(4) is applied, relating to quorum requirements, the time between a first and second meeting convened to consider the same agenda may be reduced according to the law of the Member State in which the SCE has its registered office.

Article 57 Additions to the agenda
Members of the SCE who together number more than 5000, or who have at least 10 % of the total number of the votes, may require that one or more additional items be put on the agenda of any general meeting. The above proportions may be reduced by the statutes.

Article 58 Attendance and proxies
1. Every member shall be entitled to speak and vote at general meetings on the points that are included in the agenda.
2. Members of the SCE's organs and holders of securities other than shares and debentures within the meaning of Article 64 and, if the statutes allow, any other person entitled to do so under the law of the State in which the SCE's registered office is situated may attend a general meeting without voting rights.
3. A person entitled to vote shall be entitled to appoint a proxy to represent him/her at a general meeting in accordance with procedures laid down in the statutes.
The statutes shall lay down the maximum number of persons for whom a proxy may act.
4. The statutes may permit postal voting or electronic voting, in which case they shall lay down the necessary procedures.

Article 59 Voting rights
1. Each member of an SCE shall have one vote, regardless of the number of shares he holds.
2. If the law of the Member State in which the SCE has its registered office so permits, the statutes may provide for a member to have a number of votes determined by his/her participation in the cooperative activity other than by way of capital contribution. This attribution shall not exceed five votes per member or 30 % of total voting rights, whichever is the lower.
If the law of the Member State in which the SCE has its registered office so permits, SCEs involved in financial or insurance activities may provide in their statutes for the number of votes to be determined by the members' participation in the cooperative activity including participation in the capital of the SCE. This attribution shall not exceed five votes per member or 20 % of total voting rights, whichever is the lower.
In SCEs the majority of members of which are cooperatives, if the law of the Member State in which the SCE has its registered office so permits, the statutes may provide for the number of votes to be determined in accordance with the members' participation in the cooperative activity including participation in the capital of the SCE and/or by the number of members of each comprising entity.
3. As regards voting rights which the statutes may allocate to non-user (investor) members, the SCE shall be governed by the law of the Member State in which the SCE has its registered office. Nevertheless, non-user (investor) members may not together have voting rights amounting to more than 25 % of total voting rights.
4. If, on the entry into force of this Regulation, the law of the Member State where an SCE has its registered office so permits, the statutes of that SCE may provide for the participation of employees' representatives in the general meetings or in the section or sectorial meetings, provided that the employees' representatives do not together control more than 15 % of total voting rights. Such rights shall cease to apply as soon as the registered office of the SCE is transferred to a Member State whose law does not provide for such participation.

Article 60 Right to information
1. Every member who so requests at a general meeting shall be entitled to obtain information from the management or administrative organ on the affairs of the SCE arising from items on which the general meeting may take a decision in accordance with Article 61(1). In so far as possible, information shall be provided at the general meeting in question.
2. The management or administrative organ may refuse to supply such information only where:
- it would be likely to be seriously prejudicial to the SCE,
- its disclosure would be incompatible with a legal obligation of confidentiality.
3. A member refused information may require that his/her question and the grounds for refusal be entered in the minutes of the general meeting.
4. Within the 10 days preceding the general meeting required to decide on the end of the financial year, members may examine the balance sheet, the profit-and-loss account and the notes thereon, the management report, the conclusion of the audit of the accounts by the person responsible and, where a parent company within the meaning of Directive 83/349/EEC is concerned, the consolidated accounts.

Article 61 Decisions
1. A general meeting may pass resolutions on items on its agenda. A general meeting may also deliberate and pass resolutions concerning items placed on the agenda of the meeting by a minority of members in accordance with Article 57.
2. A general meeting shall act by majority of the votes validly cast by the members present or represented.
3. The statutes shall lay down the quorum and majority requirements which are to apply to general meetings.
Where the statutes provide for the possibility of an SCE to admit investor (non-user) members, or to allocate votes according to capital contribution in SCEs involved in financial or insurance activities, the statutes shall also lay down special quorum requirements with relation to members other than investor (non-user) members or members that have voting rights according to capital contribution in SCEs involved in financial or insurance activities. Member States shall be free to set the minimum level of such special quorum requirements for those SCEs having their registered office in their territory.
4. A general meeting may amend the statutes the first time it is convened only if the members present or represented make up at least half of the total number of members on the date the general meeting is convened, and the second time it is convened on the same agenda no quorum shall be necessary.
In the cases referred to in the first subparagraph, at least two thirds of the votes cast validly must be cast in favour, unless the law applicable to cooperatives in the Member State in which the SCE's registered office is situated requires a greater majority.

Article 62 Minutes
1. Minutes shall be drawn up for every general meeting. The minutes shall include at least the following particulars:
- the venue and date of the meeting,
- the resolutions passed,
- the result of the voting.
2. The attendance list, the documents relating to the convening of the general meeting and the reports submitted to the members on the items on the agenda shall be annexed to the minutes.
3. The minutes and the documents annexed thereto shall be preserved for at least five years. A copy of the minutes and the documents annexed thereto may be obtained by any member upon request against defrayal of the administrative cost.
4. The minutes shall be signed by the chairman of the meeting.



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