Pre-Annual General Meeting Information • Aug 18, 2011
Pre-Annual General Meeting Information
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Prepared in accordance with articles 583, §1, 596 and 598 of the Code on Companies in view of the Extraordinary General meeting of September 21, 2011 and October 21, 2011 (in case at the meeting of September 21, 2011 the quorum required to deliberate and decide validly is not met).
This report is the special report referred to articles 583, §1, 596 and 598 of the Code on Companies in which the board of directors (the "Board of directors") of Barco NV (the "Company") provides a detailed justification for the contemplated issue of warrants (stock options) and motivates the suppression of the preference right of the current shareholders, holders of bonds and warrants in favor of the persons named in this report.
1.4 The stock option plans referred to in 1.2 and 1.3 above, are called herein below individually the "Plan" and collectively the "Plans".
1.5 Under the Plans each warrant (stock option) subject to actual exercise thereof entitles to acquire one (1) existing share of the Company. The allocation of the warrants (stock options) must occur in accordance with the provision of the Plans in question.
Since more than 20 years the Company has been granting warrants (stock options) to its staff. The experience of the past years has shown that the granting of warrants (stock options) to the staff and the participation of the staff in the stock of the Company is an important element in staff motivation and commitment to the Company.
The objectives of a warrant plan are indeed to foster the loyalty and the motivation of the staff in the long term in order to safeguard and enhance the success and profitability of the Company. In addition in today's labor market a warrant plan (stock option plan) is a rather important driver for potential personnel in selecting a given enterprise.
It is the goal that the Plans, a copy of which is attached hereto as Exhibit 1 and Exhibit 2 meet the conditions set forth in articles 41 up to and including 47 of the law of March 26, 1999 related to the Belgian 1998 action plan for employment and miscellaneous provisions (hereinafter the "Law of March 26, 1999").
3.1. The approval of the Plans includes the suppression of the preferential right of the existing shareholders and the holders of outstanding warrants (stock options) to the benefit of the staff of the Company and/or of its affiliated companies.
3.2. Within the scope of the Plans the Board of Directors of the Company may, with the possibility of delegation to the "Remuneration- and Nomination Committee" (hereinafter the "Committee") offer warrants (stock options) to the beneficiaries. Each one of the beneficiaries shall execute an individual warrant agreement.
The warrants (stock options) may be exercised at least three times a year, i.e. as from May 15 up to and including June 15, as from August 1 up to and including September 15 and as from November 1 up to and including December 15, unless additional exercise periods are provided for by the Committee.
3.4. The Committee, or a person or department designated by the Committee, shall inform the beneficiary of the offering of warrants (stock options), and thereupon the latter shall advise the Company by means of an express acceptance through the electronic administrative management
platform of his/her decision to subscribe specifying the number of warrants (stock options) to which he/she wishes to subscribe and by paying the amount due.
3.5. In particular for the personnel of the Company and the Companies affiliates created in Belgium, the amount of the fiscal advantage of the warrants (stock options) "Options Barco 04 - Personnel Europe 2011" shall be a lump sum amount determined in accordance with the provisions with the Law of March 26, 1999 at the time that the warrants (stock options) are granted. For information purposes only the fiscal treatment is summarized below.
The amount of the fiscal advantage shall be fixed at 15% of the value of the underlying share. For each additional year or part thereof exceeding the period of five (5) years, the said amount is increased with 1%.
The said percentages shall be halved for the staff in the event all of the following conditions are met:
the grantor of the warrants (stock options) may not, either directly or indirectly, cover the risk of depreciation of the underlying share;
the warrants (stock options) relate to the shares of the Company and/or its affiliated companies for whom a professional activity is performed.
The value to be considered is the exercise price and is fixed by the Committee on the date of the offer and is equal to:
3.6. In particular for the personnel of the Company and the Company's affiliated companies created in Belgium, the fiscal advantage shall be subject to an additional tax assessment according to the provisions of the Law of March 26, 1999 in the event the beneficiaries are unable to provide to the fiscal administration the evidence required to be provided under the Law of March 26, 1999.
3.7. In the event an option-holder dies, all warrants (stock options) acquired by the option-holder, including the exercisable – as well as the non-exercisable ones, will transfer in accordance with the terms of a will subject to the mandatory legal provisions governing wills or, in absence thereof, in accordance with the applicable rules of legal succession and the warrants (stock options) of a same plan may be exercised only once during any option exercise period as defined in the plan.
3.8. The following rules shall apply in the event an employee-holder of warrants (stock options) leaves:
options) both the exercisable and non exercisable warrants (stock options) remain exercisable during any subsequent exercise period in accordance with the modalities provided in the Plan en in the warrant agreement of the employee-holder of warrants (stock options).
3.10. In the event the shares are no longer listed on the stock exchange the holder of warrants (stock options) may exercise his/her rights in a manner which safeguards his/her subscription rights.
The new shares shall be of the same nature and shall have the same rights and enjoy the same benefits as the existing shares. The shares shall be entitled to dividend payments for the current fiscal year.
The granting of the subscription right to shares of the Company, within the framework of the warrant plan (stock option plan), according to which one (1) option entitles to one (1) share of the Company, is restricted to beneficiaries.
The issue of warrants (stock options) is combined with the suppression of the preferential right of the existing shareholders and the holders of outstanding warrants (stock options) in accordance with article 596 of the Code on Companies.
The suppression of the preferential right is justified because it is the objective to involve persons who exercise a professional activity for the Company and or its affiliated companies, and contribute to the success of the Company as shareholders with the growth and the development of the Company's value
and to motivate them, as long term shareholders, to contribute to the improvement of the financial results of the Company and to a positive evolution of the share value.
An increase of the share value is indeed of outmost importance in the interest of the existing shareholders.
In the competitive and fast moving international environment in which the Company operates it is also in the interest of the Company to involve the persons, who play an important role in furthering the Company's success, as investors in the Company on an ongoing basis.
One should consider also the favorable treatment of warrants (stock options) either at the moment of exercise or at the moment of the sale thereof.
In the light of the foregoing, it is the Board of Directors' opinion that the suppression of the preference right is justified.
The conditions of issue of the warrants are set forth in the Plans.
The exercise of the warrants (stock options) offered under the Stock-option Plan "Options Barco 04 - Personnel Europe 2011" and the Stock-option Plan "Options Barco 04 - Personnel Foreign Countries 2010" will have a minimal financial impact for the shareholders since the warrants (stock options) are traded-in for existing shares and not for newly created shares. Therefore the exercise of the warrants (stock options) will result neither in an increase of the share capital of the Company nor in further dilution of the existing shares.
The Board of Directors proposes to the general meeting to decide:
1.1 Proposal of decision:
Decision to approve a stock-option plan in favor of the employees of the limited liability company "Barco" (the "company") and of the company's affiliated companies in Belgium, the countries of the European Union, Norway and Switzerland with the creation of forty thousand (40.000) warrants (stock-options) that will be referred to as "Options Barco 04 - Personnel Europe 2011" and each giving right to acquire one (1) existing share of the company, and to establish the terms and conditions in accordance with the draft of the "Stock-option Plan Options Barco 04 – Personnel Europe 2011" that contains the conditions of issue and exercise of the warrants (stock options) and that will be sent free of charge together with the aforementioned reports to those who have complied timely with the formalities required to participate to the meeting and to the nominative shareholders, and posted on the website of the company www.barco.com.
As provided in the aforementioned "Stock-option Plan Options Barco 04 – Personnel Europe 2011" each warrant (stock-option) may be used to acquire one (1) existing share of the company at a price equal to
(a) the lower of
or
(b) such exercise price as applicable under the applicable legislation for authorized stockoption plans, in the countries where the Plan is implemented, provided, however, that such price shall match as closely as possible the price applicable under the plan in question.
Decision to cancel the preference right of the existing holders of shares, bonds and of outstanding warrants (stock-options) in favor of the employees of the limited liability company "Barco" (the "company") and of the company's affiliated companies referred to in 2.1. here above, who will be nominated as a beneficiary under the "Stock-option Plan Options Barco 04 – Personnel Europe 2011" by the company's board of directors or by the remuneration and nomination committee.
Based on the conditions of the "Stock-option Plan Options Barco 04 – Personnel Europe 2011" the company's board of directors or the remuneration and nomination committee will in a private deed determine the exercise price for the warrants (stock-options) "Options Barco 04 – Personnel Europe 2011" that will be issued in the future and will clearly specify the applicable special conditions.
Each semester the shareholders may review at the registered office of the company information on the number of warrants (stock-options) "Options Barco 04 – Personnel Europe 2011" that has been attributed, the average issue price thereof and the special conditions that may be applicable on such issued options (stock options).
1.3 Proposal of decision:
Authorization for the board of directors to implement the decisions taken, to determine the terms of implementation and, in general, to do everything that is necessary for the implementation of the "Stock-option Plan Options Barco 04 – Personnel Europe 2011".
Authorization for each member of the board of directors, acting individually, to ascertain, at the expiration of each period for exercise of the warrants (stock options) the conversion of the relevant warrants into existing shares of the company, to deliver the shares, to receive the amounts due, to grant discharge for such amounts and to record all amounts due in the company's accounts.
1.4 Proposal of decision:
Approval, insofar as necessary and applicable, in accordance with article 556 of the Code on companies, of the provisions of the "Stock-option Plan Options Barco 04 – Personnel Europe 2011" that may grant rights that could have an impact on the company's assets or result in a debt or an obligation for the company in case of a change of control over the company.
2.1 here above with the creation of forty five thousand (45.000) warrants (stock-options) that will be referred to as "Options Barco 04 - Personnel Foreign Countries 2011" and each giving right to acquire one (1) existing share of the company, and to establish the terms and conditions in accordance with the draft of the "Stock-option Plan Options Barco 04 – Personnel Foreign Countries 2011" that contains the conditions of issue and exercise of the warrants (stock options) and that will be sent free of charge together with the aforementioned reports to those who have complied timely with the formalities required to participate to the meeting and to the nominative shareholders, and posted on the website of the company www.barco.com.
As provided in the aforementioned "Stock-option Plan Options Barco 04 – Personnel Foreign Countries 2011" each warrant (stock-option) may be used to acquire one (1) existing share of the company at a price equal to
Decision to cancel the preference right of the existing holders of shares, bonds and of outstanding warrants (stock-options) in favor of the employees of other foreign affiliated companies of the limited company "Barco (the "company") than those referred to in 2.1 here above, who will be nominated as a beneficiary under the "Stock-option Plan Options Barco 04 – Personnel Foreign Countries 2011" by the company's board of directors or by the remuneration and nomination committee.
Based on the conditions of the "Stock-option Plan Options Barco 04 – Personnel Foreign Countries 2011" the company's board of directors or the remuneration and nomination committee will in a private deed determine the exercise price for the warrants (stock-options) "Options Barco 04 – Personnel Foreign Countries 2011" that will be issued in the future and will clearly specify the applicable special conditions.
Each semester the shareholders may review at the registered office of the company information on the number of warrants (stock-options) "Options Barco 04 – Personnel Foreign Countries 2011" that has been attributed, the average issue price thereof and the special conditions that may be applicable on such issued options (stock options).
Authorization for the board of directors to implement the decisions taken, to determine the terms of implementation and, in general, to do everything that is necessary for the implementation of the "Stock-option Plan Options Barco 04 – Personnel Foreign Countries 2011".
Authorization for each member of the board of directors, acting individually, to ascertain, at the expiration of each period for exercise of the warrants (stock options) the conversion of the relevant warrants into existing shares of the company, to deliver the shares, to receive the
amounts due, to grant discharge for such amounts and to record all amounts due in the company's accounts.
Approval, insofar as necessary and applicable, in accordance with article 556 of the Code on companies, of the provisions of the "Stock-option Plan Options Barco 04 – Personnel Foreign Countries 2011" that may grant rights that could have an impact on the company's assets or result in a debt or an obligation for the company in case of a change of control over the company.
Kortrijk , August 8, 2011
the Board of Directors
The Stock-option Plan "Options Barco 04 - Personnel Europe 2011"
The Stock-option Plan "Options Barco 04 - Personnel Foreign Countries 2010"
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