Governance Information • Apr 30, 2023
Governance Information
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Reg. Nr. 40003306807
RIGA, 2023
| I INTRODUCTION | 3 |
|---|---|
| II PRINCIPLES OF GOOD CORPORATE GOVERNANCE | 3 |
| SHAREHOLDER'S MEETINGS | 3 |
| 1. Ensuring shareholders' rights and participation at shareholders' meetings |
6 |
| 2. Participation of members and member candidates of the Issuer's management | |
| institutions at shareholders' meetings |
6 |
| BOARD | 6 |
| 3. Obligations and responsibilities of the Board | 6 |
| 4. Board composition and requirements for board members |
7 |
| 5. Identification of conflict of interest in the work of board members | 8 |
| COUNCIL | 8 |
| 6. Obligations and responsibilities of council members | 9 |
| 7. Council composition and requirements for council members | 9 |
| 8. Identification of conflict of interest in the work of council members | 10 |
| DISCLOSURE OF INFORMATION | 11 |
| 9. Transparency of the Issuer's business | 11 |
| 10. Investor relations | 11 |
| INTERNAL CONTROL AND RISK MANAGEMENT | 13 |
| 11. Principles of the Issuer's internal and external control | 13 |
| 12. Audit Committee | 14 |
| REMUNERATION POLICY | 14 |
| 13. General principles, types and criteria for setting remuneration | 14 |
| 14. Remuneration Report | 18 |
| ANNEX III | 19 |
| INDEPENDENCE CRITERIA OF CONCIL MEMBERS | 19 |
The Corporate Governance Report (henceforth – Report) of Latvijas Juras Medicinas Centrs JSC for the year 2021 is based on "The Principles of Corporate Governance and Recommendations on their Implementation" issued by NASDAQ OMX Riga (henceforth – Stock Exchange) in the year 2010. The Report is prepared in compliance with the principle "comply with or explain".
The Report is prepared by the Board of Latvijas Juras Medicinas Centrs JSC and approved by the Council.
This Report is committed to the Stock Exchange together with the audited annual report of Latvijas Juras Medicinas Centrs JSC for the year 2022. The Report is also published on the NASDAQ OMX Riga site www.nasdaqomxbaltic.com and on the site www.ljmc.lv (part "Finanšu pārskati un korporatīvās pārvaldības ziņojumi")
Janis Birks Chairman of the Board Riga, April 28, 2023.
Shareholders realize their right to participate in the management of the Issuer at shareholders' meetings. In compliance with legal acts, the Issuers shall call the annual shareholders' meeting minimum once a year. Extraordinary shareholders' meetings shall be called as required.
The Issuers shall ensure equal attitude towards all the shareholders – holders of one category of shares. All shareholders shall have equal rights to participate in the management of the Issuer – to participate at shareholders' meetings and receive information that shareholders need in order to make decisions.
1.1. It shall be important to ensure that all the holders of shares of one category have also equal rights, including the right to receive a share of the Issuer's profit as dividends or in another way in proportion to the number of the shares owned by them if such right is stipulated for the shares owned by them.
Latvijas Juras Medicinas Centrs JSC complies with this recommendation. According to the Articles of Association of Latvijas Juras Medicinas Centrs JSC have issued one category of shares and all shares of the same category give equal rights to dividends, liquidation quota and voting rights at the general meeting of shareholders. Individuals who directly or indirectly acquired a significant interest in corporation are reflected in the annual report.
1.2. The Issuer shall prepare a policy for the division of profit. In the preparation of the policy, it is recommended to take into account not only the provision of immediate benefit for the Issuer's shareholders by paying dividends to them but also the expediency of profit reinvestment, that would increase the value of the Issuer in future. It is recommended to discuss the policy of profit division in the shareholders' meeting thus ensuring that maximum number of shareholders have the possibility to acquaint themselves with it and to express their opinion on it. The Report shall specify where the Issuer's profit distribution policy is made available.
It is the competence of general meeting of shareholders to pass resolution on dividend payments. In 2006, the Board drafted "Strategic Plan for development of Latvijas Juras Medicinas Centrs JSC" that was approved by the Council. The said document sets out the plan for development of the company and aims at increasing its value. Such a strategy calls for reinvestment of profit to ensure development of "Latvijas Juras Medicinas Centrs" JSC Group, thus increasing its value in future. The policy for the division of profit in this economic crisis time will be discussed in the upcoming general meeting of shareholders.
1.3. In order to protect the Issuer's shareholders' interest to a sufficient extent, not only the Issuers but also any other persons who in compliance with the procedure stipulated in legislative acts call, announce and organize a shareholders' meeting are asked to comply with all the issues referred to, in these Recommendations in relation to calling shareholders' meetings and provision of shareholders with the required information.
Latvijas Juras Medicinas Centrs JSC complies with this recommendation.
1.4. Shareholders of the Issuers shall be provided with the possibility to receive in due time and regularly all the required information on the relevant Issuer, participate in the meetings and vote on agenda issues. The Issuers shall carry out all the possible activities that as many as possible to participate in the meetings; therefore, the time and place of a meeting should not restrict the shareholders to attend the shareholders' meeting. Therefore, it would not be admissible to change the time and place of an announced shareholders' meeting shortly before the meeting, which thus would hinder or even make it impossible for shareholders to attend the meeting.
Latvijas Juras Medicinas Centrs JSC complies with this recommendation.
1.5. The Issuers shall inform their shareholders on calling a shareholders' meeting by publishing a notice in compliance with the procedure and the time limits set forth in legislative acts. The Issuers are asked to announce the shareholders' meeting as soon as the decision on calling the shareholders' meeting has been taken; in particular, this condition applies to extraordinary shareholders' meetings. The information on calling a shareholders' meeting shall be published also on the Issuer's website on the Internet, where it should be published also at least in one foreign language. It is recommended to use the English language as the said other language so that the website could be used also by foreign investors. When publishing information on calling a shareholders' meeting, also the initiator of calling the meeting shall be specified.
Latvijas Juras Medicinas Centrs JSC complies with this recommendation.
1.6. The Issuer shall ensure that complete information on the course, time of the meeting, decisions , as well as the agenda and draft decisions on which it is planned to vote at the meeting are made available in due time to the shareholders. The Issuers shall also inform the shareholders whom they can address to receive answers to any questions on the arrangements for the shareholders' meeting and the agenda issues and ensure that the required additional information is provided to the shareholders.
Latvijas Juras Medicinas Centrs JSC complies with this recommendation.
1.7. The Issuer shall ensure that at least 14 (fourteen) days prior to the meeting the shareholders have the possibility to acquaint themselves with the draft decisions on the issues to be dealt with at the meeting, including those that have been submitted additionally already after the announcement on calling the meeting. The Issuer shall ensure the possibility to read a complete text of draft decisions, especially if they apply to voting on amendments to the Issuer's statutes, election of the Issuer's officials, determination of their remuneration, division of the Issuer's profit and other issues.
Latvijas Juras Medicinas Centrs JSC complies with this recommendation.
1.8. In no way may the Issuers restrict the right of shareholders to nominate representatives of the shareholders for council elections. The candidates to the council and candidates to other offices shall be nominated in due time so that the information on the said persons would be available to the shareholders to the extent as stipulated in Clause 1.9 of this Section as minimum 14 (fourteen) days prior to the shareholders' meeting.
Latvijas Juras Medicinas Centrs JSC complies with this recommendation as far as it falls within competence of the Board and the Council according to the requirements of legislative acts of the Republic of Latvia.
1.9. Especially, attention should be paid that the shareholders at least 14 (fourteen) days prior to the shareholders' meeting have the possibility to acquaint themselves with information on council member candidates and audit committee member candidates whose approval is planned at the meeting. When disclosing the said information, also a short personal biography of the candidates shall be published.
Latvijas Juras Medicinas Centrs JSC complies with this recommendation as far as it falls within competence of the Board and the Council according to the requirements of legislative acts of the Republic of Latvia.
1.10. The Issuer may not restrict the right of shareholders to consult among them during a shareholders' meeting if it is required in order to adopt a decision or to make clear some issue.
Latvijas Juras Medicinas Centrs JSC complies with this recommendation.
1.11. To provide shareholders with complete information on the course of the shareholders' meeting, the Issuer shall prepare the regulations on the course of shareholders' meeting, in which the agenda of shareholders' meeting and the procedure for solving any organizational issues connected with the shareholders' meeting (e.g., registration of meeting participants, the procedure for the adoption of decisions on the issues to be dealt with at the meeting, the Issuer's actions in case any of the issues on the agenda is not dealt with, if it is impossible to adopt a decision etc.). The procedures adopted by the Issuer in relation to participation in voting shall be easy to implement.
Even though there are no special regulations on the course of shareholders' meeting the applicable procedures on the course of shareholders' meeting are clear. This enables shareholders to easy implement their rights to participate in voting. Therefore Latvijas Juras Medicinas Centrs JSC considers itself to be in compliance with this recommendation.
1.12. The Issuer shall ensure that during the shareholders' meeting the shareholders have the possibility to ask questions to the candidates to be elected at the shareholders' meeting and other attending representatives of the Issuer. The Issuer shall have the right to set reasonable restrictions on questions, for example, excluding the possibility that one shareholder uses up the total time provided for asking questions and setting a time limit of speeches.
Latvijas Juras Medicinas Centrs JSC complies with this recommendation as far as it falls within competence of the Board and the Council according to the requirements of legislative acts of the Republic of Latvia.
1.13. When entering the course and contents of discussions on the agenda issues to be dealt with at the shareholders' meeting in the minutes of shareholders' meeting, the chairperson of the meeting shall ensure that, in case any meeting participant requires it, particular debates are reflected in the minutes or that shareholder proposal or questions are appended thereto in written form.
Latvijas Juras Medicinas Centrs JSC complies with this recommendation.
Latvijas Juras Medicinas Centrs JSC complies with the recommendations of paragraph 2.
The board is the Issuer's executive institution, which manages and represents the Issuer in its everyday business, therefore the Issuer shall ensure that it is efficient, able to take decisions, and committed to increase the value of the company, therefore its obligations and responsibilities have to be clearly determined.
The Issuers shall clearly and expressively determine the obligations, authorities of the board and responsibilities of its members, thus ensuring a successful work of the board and an increase in the Issuer's value.
3.1. The board shall have the obligation to manage the business of the Issuer, which includes also the responsibility for the realization of the objectives and strategies determined by the Issuer and the responsibility for the results achieved. The board shall be responsible for the above said to the council and the shareholders' meeting. In fulfillment of its obligations, the board shall take decisions guided by interests of all the shareholders and preventing any potential conflict of interests.
3.2. The powers of the board shall be stipulated in the Board Regulations or a similar document, which is to be published on the website of the Issuer on the Internet. This document must be also available at the registered office of the Issuer.
Latvijas Juras Medicinas Centrs JSC complies with this recommendation. The board of Latvijas Juras Medicinas Centrs JSC is elected and changed according to laws of Latvia. The powers of the board members are determinate by the Statute. The board agenda is determinated by The Board Regulations, which has been developed on the basis of Latvijas
Juras Medicinas Centrs JSC statutes and Rules of Commercial Law, and is available on the website and company's office.
3.3. The board shall be responsible also for the compliance with all the binding regulatory acts, risk management, as well as the financial activity of the Issuer.
Latvijas Juras Medicinas Centrs JSC complies with this recommendation.
Latvijas Juras Medicinas Centrs JSC complies with the recommendations 3.4.-3.6.
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4.1. In composing the board, it shall be observed that every board member has appropriate education and work experience. The Issuer shall prepare a summary of the requirements to be set for every board member, which specifies the skills, education, previous work experience and other selection criteria for every board member.
Latvijas Juras Medicinas Centrs JSC complies with this recommendation. The Board members posses appropriate qualification and experience in their respective fields of expertise. The personnel of the board and its changes are disclosed in the Annual Report for the Year 2021.
4.2. On the Issuer's website on the Internet, the following information on every Issuer's board member shall be published: name, surname, year of birth, education, office term, position, description of the last three year's professional experience, number of the Issuer's or its parent companies/subsidiaries shares owned by the member, information on positions in other capital companies.
4.3. In order to fulfill their obligations successfully, board members must have access in due time to accurate information on the activity of the Issuer. The board must be capable of providing an objective evaluation on the activity of the Issuer. Board members must have enough time for the performance of their duties.
Latvijas Juras Medicinas Centrs JSC complies with this recommendation.
4.4. It is not recommended to elect one and the same board member for more than four successive terms. The Issuer has to evaluate whether its development will be facilitated in the result of that and whether it will be possible to avoid a situation where greater power is concentrated in hands of one or a number of separate persons due to their long-term work at the Issuer. If, however, such election is admitted, it shall be recommended to consider to change the field of work of the relevant Board member at the Issuer.
Latvijas Juras Medicinas Centrs JSC complies with this recommendation.
Every board member shall avoid any conflict of interests in his/her work and be maximum independent from any external circumstances and willing to assume responsibility for the decisions taken and comply with the general ethical principles in adopting any decisions connected with the business of the Issuer.
5.1 It shall be the obligation of every board member to avoid any, even only supposed, conflict of interest in his/her work. In taking decisions, board members shall be guided by the interests of the Issuer and not use the cooperation offers proposed to the Issuer to obtain personal benefit.
5.2 On the occurrence of any interest conflict or even only on its possibility, a board member shall notify other board members without delay. Board members shall notify on any deal or agreement the Issuer is planning to conclude with a person who has close relationship or is connected with the board member in question, as well as inform on any conflict of interest occurred during the validity period of concluded agreements.
For the purposes of these Recommendations the following shall be regarded as persons who have close relationship with a board member: spouses, a relative, including kinship of second degree or brother-in-law of first degree, or persons with whom the board member has had a common household for at least one year. For the purposes of these recommendations the following shall be regarded as persons who are connected with a board member: legal persons where the board member or a closely related to him/her person is a board or council member, performs the tasks of an auditor or holds another managing office in which he or she could determine or affect the business strategy of the respective legal entity.
5.3 Board members should not participate in taking decisions that could cause an interest conflict.
Latvijas Juras Medicinas Centrs JSC complies with the recommendations of paragraph 5.
In compliance with legal acts a council is the institution that supervises the Issuer and represents interests of shareholders between meetings in cases stipulated in the law and in the statutes of the Issuer, supervises the work of the board.
The objective of the Issuer's council is to act in the interests of all the shareholders, ensuring that the value of the Issuer grows. The Issuer shall clearly determine the obligations of the council and the responsibility of the council members, as well as ensure that individual council members or groups thereof do not have a dominating role in decision making.
6.1 The functions of the council shall be set forth in the council regulation or a document equated thereto that regulates the work of the council, and it shall be published on the Issuer's website on the Internet. This document shall be also available at the Issuer's office.
Latvijas Juras Medicinas Centrs JSC complies with this recommendation.
6.2 The supervision carried out by the council over the work of the board shall include supervision over the achievement of the objectives set by the Issuer, the corporate strategy and risk management, the process of financial accounting, board's proposals on the use of the profit of the Issuer, and the business performance of the Issuer in compliance with the requirements of regulatory acts. The council should discuss every said matters and express its opinion at least annually, complying with frequency of calling council meetings as laid down in regulatory acts, and the results of discussions shall be reflected in the minutes of the council's meetings.
Latvijas Juras Medicinas Centrs JSC complies with this recommendation.
6.3 The council and all its members shall be responsible that they have all the information required for them to fulfill their duties, obtaining it from board members and internal auditors or, if necessary, from employees of the Issuer or external consultants. To ensure information exchange, the council chairperson shall contact the Issuer's board, inter alia the board chairperson, on a regular basis and discuss all the most important issues connected with the Issuer's business and development strategy, business activities, and risk management.
Latvijas Juras Medicinas Centrs JSC complies with this recommendation.
6.4 When determining the functions of the council, it should be stipulated that every council member has the obligation to provide explanations in case the council member is unable to participate in council meetings. It shall be recommended to disclose information on the council members who have not attended more than a half of the council meetings within a year of reporting, providing also the reasons for non-attendance.
Latvijas Juras Medicinas Centrs JSC complies with this recommendation.
The council structure determined by the Issuer shall be transparent and understandable and ensure sufficiently critical and independent attitude in evaluating and taking decisions.
7.1 The Issuer shall require every council member as well as council member candidate who is planned to be elected at a shareholders' meeting that they submit to the Issuer the following information: name, surname, year of birth, education, office term as a council member, description of the last three year's professional experience, number of the Issuer's or its parent companies/subsidiaries shares owned by the member, information on positions in other capital companies. The said information shall be published also on the Issuer's website on the Internet, providing, in addition to the said information, also the term of office for which the council member is elected, its position, including also additional positions and obligations, if any.
Latvijas Juras Medicinas Centrs JSC complies with this recommendation. The personnel of the council and its changes are also disclosed in the Annual Report for the Year .
Latvijas Juras Medicinas Centrs JSC complies with the recommendations of paragraph 7. In the year 2022 the following members of the Council were independent: V.Shilins, U.Osis, J.Kalejs, I.Gadzjus.
Every council member shall avoid any conflict of interest in his/her work and be maximally independent from any external circumstances. Council members shall comply with the general ethical principles in adopting any decisions connected with the business of the Issuer and assume responsibility for the decisions taken.
For the purposes of these recommendations the following shall be regarded as persons who have close relationship with a council member: spouses, a relative, including kinship of second degree or brother-in-law of first degree, or persons with whom the council member has had a common household for at least one year. For the purposes of these recommendations the following shall be regarded as persons who are connected with a council member: legal persons where the council member or a closely related to him/her person is a board or council member, performs the tasks of an auditor or holds another managing office in which he or she could determine or affect the business strategy of the respective legal entity.
8.3 A council member who is in a possible interest conflict should not participate in taking decisions that might be a cause of an interest conflict.
Latvijas Juras Medicinas Centrs JSC complies with the recommendations of paragraph 8.
Good practice of corporate governance for an Issuer whose shares are included in the market regulated by the Stock Exchange means that the information disclosed by the Issuer has to provide a view on the economic activity of the Issuer and its financial results. This facilitates a justified determination of the price of financial instruments in public circulation as well as the trust in finance and capital markets. Disclosure of information is closely connected with investor relations (hereinafter – the IR), which can be defined as the process of developing Issuer's relations with its potential and existing investors and other parties interested in the business of the Issuer.
The information disclosed by the Issuers shall be provided in due time and allowing the shareholders to assess the management of the Issuer, to get an idea on the business of the company and its financial results, as well as to take grounded decisions in relation to the shares owned by them.
Latvijas Juras Medicinas Centrs JSC complies with the recommendations of paragraph 9.
Considering that financial instruments of the Issuers are offered on a regulated market, also such activity sphere of the Issuers as investor relations (hereinafter – the IR) and the development and maintaining thereof is equally important, paying special attention to that all the investors have access to equal, timely and sufficient information.
Latvijas Juras Medicinas Centrs JSC complies with the recommendations of paragraph 10.5. The website contains a lot of information on the Issuer and its operations. Part of this information is available on the website published annual and interim financial statements in Latvian and English. The above information is freely available at the Exchange's website in the sections "Company" and "Reports" as well as at The Central Storage of Regulated Information, where it was and still is available to anyone interested.
The purpose of the internal control and risk management is to ensure efficient and successful work of the Issuer, the truthfulness of the information disclosed and conformity thereof to the relevant regulatory acts and business principles. Internal control helps the board to identify the shortcomings and risks in the management of the Issuer as well as facilitates that the council's task - to supervise the work of the board - is fulfilled efficiently.
Latvijas Juras Medicinas Centrs JSC complies with the recommendations of paragraph 11. By preparing financial statements the main attention is focused on the potential conflict of interest and their impact analysis and also on the transactions between involved companies.
12.1 The functions and responsibility of the Audit Committee should be specified in the regulation of the committee or a comparable document.
12.2 To assure an efficient functioning of the Audit Committee, it is recommended that at least three of its members have adequate knowledge in accounting and financial reporting, because, issues related to the Issuer's financial reports and control are in the focus of the Audit Committee's operations.
12.3 All Audit Committee members shall have access to the information about the accounting principles practiced by the Issuer. Board shall advise the audit Committee as to the approaches significant and unusual transactions, where alternative evaluations are possible, and shall ensure that the Audit Committee has access to all information that has been specified in the legislation.
12.4 The Issuer shall ensure that its officials, board members and staff release the information to the Audit Committee that is necessary for its operations. The Audit Committee should also be entitled to carry out an independent investigation in order to identify, within its scope, any violations in the Issuer' activities.
Latvijas Juras Medicinas Centrs JSC complies with the recommendations of paragraph 12. except recommendation 12.2.
The policy of the remuneration of board and council members – type, structure and amount of remuneration - is one of the spheres where persons involved has a potentially greater risk to find themselves in an interest conflict situation. To avoid it, the Issuer shall develop a clear remuneration policy, specifying general principles, types and criteria for the remuneration to be awarded to the board or council members.
A clear and complete report on the remuneration policy with regard to the management body members of the Issuer should be made available to the shareholders. Public disclosure of the said information would allow the existing and potential shareholders to carry out a comprehensive evaluation of the Issuer's approach the remuneration issues; consequently, the Issuer's responsible body shall draft and made public the Remuneration Report.
the member of the Issuer's management board in a share-related incentive scheme as at the end of the reporting year;
The remuneration policy provides a fixed monthly total remuneration for members of the council (approved by the shareholders' meeting) and total monthly remuneration of the board before tax in amount 1.4% of the company's net turnover for the previous month (approved by the council). Sales growth does not significantly affect fixed costs, resulting in increased company's performance. Wage estimates are for each month of operation. No remuneration schemes based on the Issuer's shares are used. Awarding bonus for the council is possible only by decision in the shareholders meeting. Council decides about the board bonus for the results of reporting year. The pension and early retirement schemes are not used. Council and board members mandate terms are defined in the corporation's statute. The compensations under the Labor Law of Latvia are used for the council and board members in the case of early cessation. In the year 2022, remuneration policy has no performed compared with the Year 2021. In 2022, the Council and Board members' remuneration was in accordance with the remuneration policy. The Council members did not have a bonus for the results of the year 2022. Wages before tax for the year 2021 in the Latvijas Juras Medicinas Centrs JSC for the Board and Council Presidents and members are reflected in the financial statements. In the year 2022 no Council members resigned. No other remuneration was paid to the council members in Latvijas Juras Medicinas Centrs JSC in form of profit-sharing or bonus payments in the year 2022. The board members in Latvijas Juras Medicinas Centrs JSC had paid bonus payments Eur 16 000 in the year 2022.
As independent shall be regarded a council member of the Issuer who:
1) has not been a board or council member of the Issuer, its associated company or a shareholder that controls the Issuer in the previous three years and does not hold the said office also within the time period when holding the office of a council member. A company associated with the Issuer shall mean a company which is included in the consolidated financial report of the Issuer or the consolidated report of which the Issuer is included in;
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