1. The board of directors believes that, given the uncertainties generated by the Covid-19 pandemic, it is prudent and in the interest of the company to reduce the amount of profits to be distributed to shareholders compared to the proposal made by the board of directors as set out in the annual accounts. The board of directors therefore proposes to reduce the dividend for the year 2019 from €0.60 per share to €0.50 per share (the same amount per share as the dividend paid for the year 2018). The payment date remains unchanged at May 14, 2020.
In this respect, the board of directors would like to point out that it is the responsibility of the General Meeting to determine the allocation of the results and that the General Meeting has the right to amend the allocation of the results as set out in the annual accounts submitted for its approval by the board of directors. Shareholders wishing to make use of this right are therefore invited to take the initiative to amend the postal voting form or the proxy form themselves in order to indicate that they wish to amend the appropriation of profits and reduce the amount of the dividend to 0.50 euro per share instead of 0.60 euro per share.
The board of directors has been informed that the majority shareholder of the company (Atlas Services Belgium, which holds 52.91% of the shares and voting rights) intends to make use of this right and to vote accordingly.
2. The board of directors has, in accordance with Royal Decree no. 4 of 9 April 2020 on various provisions relating to co-ownership and company and association law in the context of the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, taken the following decisions.
The General Meeting (Ordinary, Extraordinary and Special) of 6 May 2020 will be held and shareholders will be able to exercise their rights exclusively in the following manner:
1° by voting remotely before the general meeting by mail; and
(2) by giving a proxy before the general meeting to the chairman of the meeting containing specific and binding voting instructions for each item on the agenda requiring a vote.
The board of directors shall refer to the company's website where the relevant forms are published. These documents must be correctly and completely filled in and signed and must reach the company at the latest on the fourth day before the date of the general meeting.
In view of the measures to combat the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic, the board of directors prohibits any physical presence of shareholders (and their proxies - with the exception of the Chairman of the meeting acting as proxy, as mentioned above).
All questions must be put in writing and this at the latest on the fourth day preceding the date of the general meeting. The board of directors (or the statutory auditor) shall answer such questions in writing no later than the day of the general meeting but before the vote. The answers to any written questions will be published on the company's website.
In accordance with the law, this decision will be published by means of a press release and on the company's website at the latest on the sixth day before the date of the general meeting.