SUPPLEMENT AND AMENDMENT NO. 2 TO DEPOSIT AGREEMENT
SUPPLEMENT AND AMENDMENT NO. 2 TO DEPOSIT AGREEMENT
SUPPLEMENT AND AMENDMENT NO. 2 TO DEPOSIT AGREEMENT, dated as of March , 2011 (this "Agreement"), to the Deposit Agreement dated as of August 31, 2001, as previously amended as of May 13, 2005, October 16, 2007 and August , 2009 (as so amended, the “Deposit Agreement”) among TECHNIP, incorporated under the laws of the French Republic (the "Company"), Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas, an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Deutsche Bank AG, in its capacity as the successor depositary (the "Depositary"), and all holders from time to time of American Depositary Receipts issued thereunder.
W I T N E S S E T H:
WHEREAS, the Company and the Depositary executed the Deposit Agreement for the purposes set forth therein; and
WHEREAS, pursuant to paragraph (16) of the form of ADR set forth in Exhibit A to the Deposit Agreement, the Company and the Depositary desire to amend the terms of the Deposit Agreement and ADRs.
NOW, THEREFORE, for good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the Company and the Depositary hereby agree to amend the Deposit Agreement as follows:
ARTICLE I
Section 1.01 Definitions Generally. Unless otherwise defined in this Agreement, all capitalized terms used, but not otherwise defined, herein shall have the meaning given to such terms in the Deposit Agreement.
ARTICLE II
AMENDMENTS TO DEPOSIT AGREEMENT AND FORM OF ADR
Section 2.01 Section 1(c) of the Deposit Agreement is amended by replacing "one" with "one-fourth of one".
Section 2.02 All references in the form of ADR to the number of Shares represented by each ADS are amended to reflect that each ADS represents one-fourth of one Share.
Section 2.03 Paragraph 6 (Disclosure of Interest) of the form of ADR is amended to read as follows:
French law provides that any individual or entity (including a holder of ADSs), acting alone or in concert with others, that acquires, directly or indirectly, more than one-twentieth, one-tenth, three-twentieths, one-fifth, one-fourth, three-tenths, one-third, one-half, two-thirds, eighteen-twentieths or nineteen-twentieths of the share capital or the voting rights of the listed Company, or whose holdings fall below any such level, must notify the Company and the Autorité des Marchés Financiers, the administrative entity responsible for overseeing the French securities markets, within four trading days of exceeding or falling below such level, of the number of equity securities it holds, individually or in concert with others, and the voting rights attached thereto and the number of securities giving access directly or indirectly to Shares and/or voting rights. In the case of a violation of the notification requirements provided for under French law, the undeclared share capital interest in excess of the required notification level will be deprived of voting rights until the end of a two-year period following the date on which the owner thereof has complied with such notification requirements. In addition, any shareholder who fails to comply with the above requirements may have all or part of its voting rights suspended for up to five years by the commercial court at the request of the Company’s chairman, any shareholder or the Autorité des Marchés Financiers.
2
In addition, the Company’s statuts provide that every shareholder (including a holder of ADSs) who, directly or indirectly, acting alone or in concert with others, acquires or ceases to hold ownership or control of equity securities representing 1%, or any multiple of 1% of the Company’s share capital or voting rights less than or equal to 33%, shall be required to notify the Company of such fact by registered letter with return receipt requested within 5 trading days of such acquisition or disposition. Failure to comply with such notification provisions will result in the suspension of the voting rights attached to the equity securities exceeding such 1% threshold held by such shareholder until the end of a two-year period following the date on which such shareholder has complied with such notification requirements upon the request, recorded in the minutes of the general shareholders' meeting, of one or more shareholders holding equity securities representing at least 1% of the Company’s share capital or voting rights.
Under French law, any person or persons, acting alone or in concert with others, who acquire more than 10%, 15%, 20%, or 25% of the share capital or voting rights of a listed company, must disclose their future intentions within five trading days following the crossing of such threshold to the Company and the Autorité des Marchés Financiers and state whether or not they intend, within the 6-month period following the acquisition, to increase their shareholdings, to acquire the control of the company, to request one or more seats on the board of directors of the company and whether they are acting in concert with others. The Autorité des Marchés Financiers makes the notice public. Upon any change of intention within the above-mentioned 6-month period, the acquirer must file a new disclosure report. The sanctions regarding failure to comply with these rules are identical to those regarding threshold crossings described above.
The Depositary agrees to use reasonable efforts to comply with written instructions received from the Company requesting that the Depositary forward any such requests to Holders and to forward to the Company any responses to such requests received by the Depositary.
ARTICLE III
Section 3.01 Representations and Warranties of the Company. Representations and Warranties. The Company represents and warrants to, and agrees with, the Depositary and the Holders, that:
3
(a) This Agreement, when executed and delivered by the Company, and the Deposit Agreement, as amended and supplemented by this Agreement, and the Registration Statement on Form F-6Pos as executed and delivered by the Company in connection herewith, will be, and the Deposit Agreement previously entered into has been, respectively, duly and validly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company, and each constitutes the legal, valid and binding obligation of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with its respective terms, subject to applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent transfer, moratorium and similar laws of general applicability relating to or affecting creditors' rights and to general equity principles; and
(b) In order to ensure the legality, validity, enforceability or admissibility into evidence of this Agreement or the Deposit Agreement as amended hereby, and any other document furnished hereunder or thereunder in the Republic of France, neither of such agreements need to be filed or recorded with any court or other authority in the Republic of France, nor does any stamp or similar tax need to be paid in the Republic of France on or in respect of such agreements; and
(c) All of the information provided to the Depositary by the Company in this Amendment is true, accurate and correct in all material respects.
Section 3.02 Representations and Warranties of the Depositary. The Depositary represents and warrants to the Company that:
(a) This Agreement, when executed and delivered by Depositary, and the Deposit Agreement, as amended and supplemented by this Agreement, and the Registration Statement on Form F-6Pos as executed and delivered by the Depositary in connection herewith, will be duly and validly authorized, executed and delivered by the Depositary, and each constitutes the legal, valid and binding obligation of the Depositary, enforceable against the Depositary in accordance with its respective terms, subject to bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent transfer, moratorium and similar laws of general applicability relating to or affecting creditors' rights and to general equity principles; and
4
(b) All of the information provided to the Company by the Depositary in this Amendment is true, accurate and correct in all material respects.
ARTICLE IV
Section 4.01 Effective Date. This Agreement is dated as of the date set forth above and shall be effective as of the close of business (NY time) on March 18, 2011.
Section 4.02 Outstanding ADRs. ADRs issued prior or subsequent to the date hereof, which do not reflect the changes to the form of ADR effected hereby, do not need to be called in for exchange and may remain outstanding until such time as the Holders thereof choose to surrender them for any reason under the Deposit Agreement. The Depositary is authorized and directed to take any and all actions deemed necessary to effect the foregoing.
Section 4.03 Indemnification. The parties hereto shall be entitled to the benefits of the indemnification provisions of Section 16 of the Deposit Agreement in connection with any and all liability it or they may incur as a result of the terms of this Agreement and the transactions contemplated herein.
Section 4.04 Governing Law. THIS AGREEMENT AND THE RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS OF THE PARTIES HEREUNDER SHALL BE CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH AND GOVERNED BY THE LAW OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK.
5
Section 4.05 Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts, all of which taken together shall constitute one and the same instrument.
6
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Company and the Depositary have caused this Agreement to be executed by representatives hereunto duly authorized as of the date set forth above.
TECHNIP S.A.
|
|
By:__________________________________
Name:
Title:
|
|
DEUTSCHE BANK TRUST COMPANY AMERICAS, as the Depositary
|
|
By:__________________________________
Name:
Title:
|
|
By:__________________________________
Name:
Title:
|
7
EXHIBIT A TO
SUPPLEMENT AND AMENDMENT NO. 2 TO DEPOSIT AGREEMENT
[FORM OF FACE OF ADR]
___
Number
|
No. of ADSs:
Each ADS represents
One-fourth of one Share
CUSIP:
|
AMERICAN DEPOSITARY RECEIPT
evidencing
AMERICAN DEPOSITARY SHARES
representing
SHARES OF COMMON STOCK
of
(A Société Anonyme organized under the laws of France)
DEUTSCHE BANK TRUST COMPANY AMERICAS, an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Deutsche Bank A.G., acting in its capacity as depositary hereunder (the "Depositary"), hereby certifies that ____________ is the registered owner (a "Holder") of American Depositary Shares ("ADSs"), each (subject to paragraph (13)) representing one-fourth of one share of common stock (including the rights to receive Shares described in paragraph (1) and any successor securities resulting from a change in the nominal value, split-up or consolidation or any other reclassification, exchange or conversion of such ordinary shares, "Shares" and, together with any other securities, cash or property from time to time held by the Depositary in respect or in lieu of deposited Shares, the "Deposited Securities"), of TECHNIP, a société anonyme organized under the laws of France (the "Company"), deposited under the Deposit Agreement dated as of August 31, 2001 (as amended from time to time, the "Deposit Agreement") among the Company, the Depositary and all Holders from time to time of American Depositary Receipts issued thereunder ("ADRs"), each of whom by accepting an ADR becomes a party thereto. The Deposit Agreement and this ADR (which includes the provisions set forth on the reverse hereof) shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York.
A-1
A-2
(3) Transfers of ADRs. The Depositary or its agent will keep, at a designated transfer office in the Borough of Manhattan, The City of New York (the "Transfer Office"), (a) a register (the "ADR Register") for the registration, registration of transfer, combination and split-up of ADRs, and, in the case of Direct Registration ADRs, shall include the Direct Registration System, which at all reasonable times will be open for inspection by Holders and the Company for the purpose of communicating with Holders in the interest of the business of the Company or a matter relating to the Deposit Agreement and (b) facilities for the delivery and receipt of ADRs. The term ADR Register includes the Direct Registration System. Title to this ADR (and to the Deposited Securities represented by the ADSs evidenced hereby), when properly endorsed (in the case of ADRs in certificated form) or upon delivery to the Depositary of proper instruments of transfer, is transferable by delivery with the same effect as in the case of negotiable instruments under the laws of the State of New York; provided that the Depositary and the Company, notwithstanding any notice to the contrary, may treat the person or persons in whose name or names this ADR is registered on the ADR Register (the "Holder") as the absolute owner hereof for all purposes. Subject to paragraphs (4) and (5), this ADR is transferable on the ADR Register and may be split into other ADRs or combined with other ADRs into one ADR, evidencing the same number of ADSs evidenced by this ADR, by the Holder hereof or by such Holder's duly authorized attorney upon surrender of this ADR at the Transfer Office properly endorsed (in the case of ADRs in certificated form) or upon delivery to the Depositary of proper instruments of transfer and duly stamped as may be required by applicable law; provided that the Depositary may close the ADR Register at any time or from time to time when deemed expedient by it (after making reasonable efforts to consult with the Company if practicable in the case of any closure outside of the ordinary course of business) or requested by the Company. At the request of a Holder, the Depositary shall, for the purpose of substituting a certificated ADR with a Direct Registration ADR, or vice versa, execute and deliver a certificated ADR or a Direct Registration ADR, as the case may be, for any authorized number of ADSs requested, evidencing the same aggregate number of ADSs as those evidenced by the certificated ADR or Direct Registration ADR, as the case may be, substituted.
A-3
A-4
(6) Disclosure of Interests. To the extent that the provisions of or governing any Deposited Securities may require disclosure of or impose limits on beneficial or other ownership of Deposited Securities, other Shares and other securities and may provide for blocking transfer, voting or other rights to enforce such disclosure or limits, Holders and all persons holding ADRs agree to comply with all such disclosure requirements and ownership limitations.
French law provides that any individual or entity (including a holder of ADSs), acting alone or in concert with others, that acquires, directly or indirectly, more than one-twentieth, one-tenth, three-twentieths, one-fifth, one-fourth, three-tenths, one-third, one-half, two-thirds, eighteen-twentieths or nineteen-twentieths of the share capital or the voting rights of the listed Company, or whose holdings fall below any such level, must notify the Company and the Autorité des Marchés Financiers, the administrative entity responsible for overseeing the French securities markets, within four trading days of exceeding or falling below such level, of the number of equity securities it holds, individually or in concert with others, and the voting rights attached thereto and the number of securities giving access directly or indirectly to Shares and/or voting rights. In the case of a violation of the notification requirements provided for under French law, the undeclared share capital interest in excess of the required notification level will be deprived of voting rights until the end of a two-year period following the date on which the owner thereof has complied with such notification requirements. In addition, any shareholder who fails to comply with the above requirements may have all or part of its voting rights suspended for up to five years by the commercial court at the request of the Company’s chairman, any shareholder or the Autorité des Marchés Financiers.
In addition, the Company’s statuts provide that every shareholder (including a holder of ADSs) who, directly or indirectly, acting alone or in concert with others, acquires or ceases to hold ownership or control of equity securities representing 1%, or any multiple of 1% of the Company’s share capital or voting rights less than or equal to 33%, shall be required to notify the Company of such fact by registered letter with return receipt requested within 5 trading days of such acquisition or disposition. Failure to comply with such notification provisions will result in the suspension of the voting rights attached to the equity securities exceeding such 1% threshold held by such shareholder until the end of a two-year period following the date on which such shareholder has complied with such notification requirements upon the request, recorded in the minutes of the general shareholders' meeting, of one or more shareholders holding equity securities representing at least 1% of the Company’s share capital or voting rights.
A-5
Under French law, any person or persons, acting alone or in concert with others, who acquire more than 10%, 15%, 20%, or 25% of the share capital or voting rights of a listed company, must disclose their future intentions within five trading days following the crossing of such threshold to the Company and the Autorité des Marchés Financiers and state whether or not they intend, within the 6-month period following the acquisition, to increase their shareholdings, to acquire the control of the company, to request one or more seats on the board of directors of the company and whether they are acting in concert with others. The Autorité des Marchés Financiers makes the notice public. Upon any change of intention within the above-mentioned 6-month period, the acquirer must file a new disclosure report. The sanctions regarding failure to comply with these rules are identical to those regarding threshold crossings described above.
The Depositary agrees to use reasonable efforts to comply with written instructions received from the Company requesting that the Depositary forward any such requests to Holders and to forward to the Company any responses to such requests received by the Depositary.
A-6
Dated: |
DEUTSCHE BANK TRUST
COMPANY AMERICAS, as Depositary
|
||
By:
|
|||
Vice President |
The address of the Principal Office of the Depositary is 00 Xxxx Xxxxxx, Xxx Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx 00000, X.X.X.
A-7
[FORM OF REVERSE OF ADR]
A-8
To the extent that the Depositary determines in its discretion that any distribution pursuant to this paragraph (10) is not practicable with respect to any Holder, the Depositary may make such distribution as it so deems practicable, including the distribution of foreign currency, securities or property (or appropriate documents evidencing the right to receive foreign currency, securities or property) or the retention thereof as Deposited Securities with respect to such Holder's ADRs (without liability for interest thereon or the investment thereof).
There is no guarantee that Holders generally or any Holder in particular will receive the notice described above with sufficient time to enable such Holder to return any voting instructions to the Depositary in a timely manner.
According to French law, voting rights may not be exercised in respect of fractional shares.
A-9
Under French law, shareholders at ordinary and extraordinary shareholders' meetings may, subject to certain conditions, modify the resolutions presented by the Board of Directors to the shareholders for their approval. In such case, Holders who have given a discretionary proxy (“procuration sans indication de mandataire” as provided for in Article L.225-106 of the French Commercial Code) to vote on such resolutions shall be deemed to have given instructions to vote against the revised resolutions; provided, however, that in the event such revised resolutions have been approved by the Board of Directors of the Company, Holders who have provided a discretionary proxy shall be deemed to have given instructions to vote in favor of such revised resolutions approved by the Board of Directors.
The Depositary and the Company may revise the voting procedures set forth in this paragraph (12) as they deem necessary or advisable in order to comply with applicable law, the statuts of the Company or market practice. Notice of such revised procedures shall be provided in any distribution to Holders provided for above and shall not be considered an amendment to the Deposit Agreement or the ADR.
Subject to paragraph (14), the Depositary and the Company and their respective directors, employees, agents and controlling persons (as defined in the Securities Act of 1933) assume no obligation nor shall they be subject to any liability under the Deposit Agreement or this ADR to any Holder or any other person with respect to whether a Holder or such other person is entitled to provide voting instructions or otherwise in respect of voting.
A-10
A-11
A-12
Exhibit A to
Supplement and Amendment to Deposit Agreement
[Amended and Restated Form of ADR]