Directive 2012/30/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council (repealed)Show full title

Article 28 U.K.

1. The subscription, acquisition or holding of shares in a public limited liability company by another company within the meaning of Article 1 of Directive 2009/101/EC in which the public limited liability company directly or indirectly holds a majority of the voting rights or on which it can directly or indirectly exercise a dominant influence shall be regarded as having been effected by the public limited liability company itself.

The first subparagraph shall also apply where the other company is governed by the law of a third country and has a legal form comparable to those listed in Article 1 of Directive 2009/101/EC.

However, where the public limited liability company holds a majority of the voting rights indirectly or can exercise a dominant influence indirectly, Member States need not apply the first and the second subparagraphs if they provide for the suspension of the voting rights attached to the shares in the public limited liability company held by the other company.

2. In the absence of coordination of national legislation on groups of companies, Member States may:

(a) define the cases in which a public limited liability company shall be regarded as being able to exercise a dominant influence on another company; if a Member State exercises this option, its national law must in any event provide that a dominant influence can be exercised if a public limited liability company:

• (a) has the right to appoint or dismiss a majority of the members of the administrative organ, of the management organ or of the supervisory organ, and is at the same time a shareholder or member of the other company, or

• is a shareholder or member of the other company and has sole control of a majority of the voting rights of its shareholders or members under an agreement concluded with other shareholders or members of that company.

Member States shall not be obliged to make provision for any cases other than those referred to in the first and second indents;

(b) define the cases in which a public limited liability company shall be regarded as indirectly holding voting rights or as able indirectly to exercise a dominant influence;

(c) specify the circumstances in which a public limited liability company shall be regarded as holding voting rights.

3. Member States need not apply the first and second subparagraphs of paragraph 1 where the subscription, acquisition or holding is effected on behalf of a person other than the person subscribing, acquiring or holding the shares, who is neither the public limited liability company referred to in paragraph 1 nor another company in which the public limited liability company directly or indirectly holds a majority of the voting rights or on which it can directly or indirectly exercise a dominant influence.

4. Member States need not apply the first and second subparagraphs of paragraph 1 where the subscription, acquisition or holding is effected by the other company in its capacity and in the context of its activities as a professional dealer in securities, provided that it is a member of a stock exchange situated or operating within a Member State, or is approved or supervised by an authority of a Member State competent to supervise professional dealers in securities which, within the meaning of this Directive, may include credit institutions.

5. Member States need not apply the first and second subparagraphs of paragraph 1 where shares in a public limited liability company held by another company were acquired before the relationship between the two companies corresponded to the criteria laid down in paragraph 1.

However, the voting rights attached to those shares shall be suspended and the shares shall be taken into account when it is determined whether the condition laid down in point (b) of Article 21(1) is fulfilled.

6. Member States need not apply Article 22(2) or (3) or Article 23 where shares in a public limited liability company are acquired by another company on condition that they provide for:

(a) the suspension of the voting rights attached to the shares in the public limited liability company held by the other company; and

(b) the members of the administrative or the management organ of the public limited liability company to be obliged to buy back from the other company the shares referred to in Article 22(2) and (3) and Article 23 at the price at which the other company acquired them; this sanction shall be inapplicable only where the members of the administrative or the management organ of the public limited liability company prove that that company played no part whatsoever in the subscription for or acquisition of the shares in question.