If two people do the Same, is not the same. As the industrial group Siemens invited in early February to its shareholders to the ordinary annual General meeting in the Olympic hall in Munich, nobody would have thought that this should be one of the last children to Meet for a long time. Because it is only a few weeks later, the Lockdown to contain the Corona of a pandemic turned everything on its head. To ran this time, but things are still as usual, and so had to contact the Chairman of the Board Joe Kaeser, on a big stage especially with the harsh criticism from climate activists in the delivery of rail technology for a coal mine in Australia apart.
Werner Baumann know, what is the pressure non-governmental organisations are capable of. Since the purchase of the agro-chemical company Monsanto in front of nearly four years, the head of Leverkusen-based Bayer group, is in the public duration of criticism.
However, unlike Mr Kaeser Baumann, and this is a relaxed meeting behind. The shareholders ‘ meeting on may 28. April-took place purely virtual, Bayer was the pioneer among the Dax companies. The Board of management and Supervisory Board members sat together with a sufficient distance in the Bonn World Conference Center. The Public lived in Statements and questions via the Internet at. For unwelcome troublemakers, there was no room.
Meanwhile, the annual General meeting season is coming to an end. In the coming days, a couple of heavyweights such as Adidas and Deutsche Post and Volkswagen at the end of September will follow.
supposed To be permanently allowed?
Nonetheless, we can a conclusion, and that is positive. Noteworthy is the fact that the Online Meetings were largely trouble-free is. Because, as almost everywhere, no blueprint existed for a scenario in the pandemic.
In the wind stock market had to find listed companies with a mode, such as annual General meetings were held as the heart of the shareholder democracy in compliance with the strictest hygiene rules. The regulatory framework, the legislator created with the “law to mitigate the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic in the civil, bankruptcy and criminal proceedings law”.
Already, the debate is over whether this year is limited exception made for the new normal and pure Online-should be allowed to events permanently. The proponents argue that through the use of technology more participation was possible.
it’s Not beyond any doubt
But, a mere Online access is not a self-runner. Thus, the annual General meeting were logged on to Lufthansa, in spite of the enormous importance of the vote on the state’s participation, only 38 percent of the vote. In addition, the Online group of the praises that most of the corporations would have taken for answering the submitted questions, a lot of time and no one was to come shortly.
