AIR FRANCE-KLM AND CITIBANK, N.A., As Depositary, AND ALL HOLDERS AND BENEFICIAL OWNERS OF AMERICAN DEPOSITARY SHARES EVIDENCED BY AMERICAN DEPOSITARY RECEIPTS ISSUED AND OUTSTANDING UNDER THE ADS DEPOSIT AGREEMENT, DATED AS OF MAY 3, 2004, AS AMENDED...
Exhibit (a)(i)
AIR FRANCE-KLM
AND
CITIBANK, N.A.,
As Depositary,
AND
ALL HOLDERS AND BENEFICIAL OWNERS OF
AMERICAN DEPOSITARY SHARES EVIDENCED BY
AMERICAN DEPOSITARY RECEIPTS
ISSUED AND OUTSTANDING UNDER THE
DATED AS OF MAY 3, 2004, AS AMENDED BY
AMENDMENT NO. 1 TO ADS DEPOSIT AGREEMENT,
DATED AS OF FEBRUARY 7, 2008
Amendment No. 2
to
__________________________
Dated as of [DATE], 2013
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
ARTICLE I | ||
DEFINITIONS | ||
SECTION 1.01.
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Definitions
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2
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SECTION 1.02.
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Effective Date
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2
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ARTICLE II | ||
AMENDMENTS TO ADS DEPOSIT AGREEMENT | ||
SECTION 2.01.
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Deposit Agreement
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2
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SECTION 2.02.
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Amendments Binding on all Holders and Beneficial Owners
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3
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SECTION 2.03.
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Change of Voting of Deposited Securities
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3
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SECTION 2.04.
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Change of Fees and Charges of Depositary
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6
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ARTICLE III | ||
AMENDMENTS TO THE FORM OF ADR | ||
SECTION 3.01.
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Amendment to ADR Form
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7
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ARTICLE IV | ||
AMENDMENTS TO THE FEE SCHEDULE | ||
SECTION 4.01.
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Amendment to Fee Schedule
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13
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ARTICLE V | ||
REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES | ||
SECTION 5.01.
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Representations and Warranties
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13
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ARTICLE VI | ||
MISCELLANEOUS | ||
SECTION 6.01.
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New ADRs
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14
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SECTION 6.02.
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Notice of Amendment to Holders of ADSs
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14
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SECTION 6.03.
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Indemnification
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15
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SECTION 6.04.
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Ratification
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15
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SECTION 6.05.
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Governing Law
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15
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SECTION 6.06.
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Counterparts
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15
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EXHIBIT A
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FORM OF ADR
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A-1
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EXHIBIT B
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FEE SCHEDULE
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B-1
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EXHIBIT C
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NOTICE TO HOLDERS
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C-1
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AMENDMENT NO. 2 TO ADS DEPOSIT AGREEMENT
AMENDMENT NO. 2 TO ADS DEPOSIT AGREEMENT, dated as of [DATE], 2013 (this “Amendment”), by and among Air France-KLM, a company organized and existing under the laws of The Republic of France (the “Company”), Citibank, N.A., a national banking association organized under the laws of the United States of America (the “Depositary”), and all Holders and Beneficial Owners from time to time of American Depositary Shares under the ADS Deposit Agreement, dated as of May 3, 2004, as amended by Amendment No. 1 to ADS Deposit Agreement, dated February 7, 2008.
WITNESSETH THAT:
WHEREAS, the Company and the Depositary entered into that certain ADS Deposit Agreement, dated as of May 3, 2004, as amended by Amendment No. 1 to ADS Deposit Agreement, dated February 7, 2008 (collectively, the “Deposit Agreement”), for the creation of American Depositary Shares representing the Shares (as defined in the Deposit Agreement) so deposited and for the execution and delivery of American Depositary Receipts (“Receipts”) in respect of the American Depositary Shares (“ADSs”); and
ARTICLE I
ARTICLE II
2
Notwithstanding anything contained in the Deposit Agreement or any ADR, the Depositary may, to the extent not prohibited by law or regulations, the Articles of Association, or by the requirements of any stock exchange on which the ADSs may be listed, in lieu of distribution of the materials provided to the Depositary in connection with any meeting of, or solicitation of consents or proxies from, holders of Deposited Securities, distribute to the Holders a notice that provides Holders with, or otherwise publicize to Holders, instructions on how to retrieve such materials or receive such materials upon request (i.e., by reference to a website containing the materials for retrieval or a contact for requesting copies of the materials).
3
The Company has informed the Depositary that, as of the date of the Deposit Agreement, under French company law and the Company's Articles of Association, (i) the record date for holders of Shares to vote at a shareholders meeting is at least three (3) business days (such date as may be established from time to time, the “Share Record Date”), (ii) in order to exercise voting rights holders of Shares in registered form must have their Shares registered in their own name, or in the name of a registered financial intermediary (intermédiaire inscrit), in a share account maintained by or on behalf of the Company as of the Share Record Date, (iii) in order to exercise voting rights holders of Shares in bearer form are required to have their Shares registered in the name of a registered financial intermediary (intermédiaire inscrit) and obtain from an accredited financial intermediary (intermédiaire habilité), and provide to the Company, an attendance certificate (attestation de participation) attesting to the registration of such Shares in the financial intermediary’ s account as of the Share Record Date, and (iv) the voting form must be delivered to the Company at least three (3) days prior to the date of the shareholders’ meeting (voting forms sent by electronic form can be received by the Company up to the day immediately preceding the meeting date at 3:00 p.m. Paris time).
In accordance with the foregoing, a Holder as of the ADS Record Date who desires to exercise its voting rights with respect to ADSs representing Shares in registered or bearer form is required to: (a) be a Holder of the ADSs as of the Share Record Date, (b) deliver voting instructions to the Depositary, in a form acceptable to the Company and the Depositary, by the date established by the Depositary for such purpose (the “Receipt Date”), (c) instruct the Depositary to request that the Custodian deliver a voting form (formulaire de vote à distance) to the Company prior to the deadline established by the Company, and (d) in the case of ADSs representing Shares in bearer form, instruct the Depositary to request that the Custodian deposit the requisite attendance certificate (attestation de participation) with the Company. The delivery of voting instructions shall be deemed instructions to request delivery of the voting form and the attendance certificate.
Upon receipt by the Depositary of (i) the voting instructions, in a form acceptable to the Company and the Depositary, on or before the Receipt Date, and (ii) evidence satisfactory to the Depositary that the applicable conditions of the preceding paragraph have been satisfied, the Depositary shall endeavor, insofar as practicable and permitted under any applicable provisions of French law and the Company's Articles of Association, to cause to be voted the Shares represented by such ADSs in accordance with any non-discretionary instructions set forth in such voting instructions. The Depositary will only cause to be voted Shares represented by ADSs in respect of which valid voting instructions have been received and only in accordance with such voting instructions. If the Depositary receives from a Holder (who has otherwise satisfied all conditions to voting contemplated herein) voting instructions which fail to specify the manner in which the Depositary is to vote the Deposited Securities represented by such Holder's ADSs, the Depositary will deem such Holder (unless otherwise specified in the notice distributed to Holders) to have instructed the Depositary to vote in favor of all resolutions endorsed by the Company’s board of directors.
4
The Depositary will not knowingly take any action to impair its ability to carry out the voting instructions of Beneficial Owners of ADSs delivered to it by DTC, any DTC Participants or any of their agents. In the case of voting instructions received in respect of any Beneficial Owner of ADSs as of the ADS Record Date who is not the Holder of the ADSs on the books of the Depositary, the Depositary will not cause to be voted the number of Shares represented by such ADSs unless the Depositary has received evidence (reasonably satisfactory to it and to the Company) that such number of ADSs continue to be held by such Beneficial Owner as of the Share Record Date. Except as provided above, the Depositary will not cause to be voted Shares represented by ADSs in respect of which the voting instructions are improperly completed or in respect of which (and to the extent) the voting instructions are illegible or unclear. The Depositary will not charge any fees in connection with the foregoing transactions to enable any Holder to exercise its voting rights under the Deposit Agreement.
Voting instructions may be given only in respect of a number of ADSs representing an integral number of Deposited Securities. Neither the Depositary nor the Custodian shall under any circumstances exercise any discretion as to voting and neither the Depositary nor the Custodian shall vote, attempt to exercise the right to vote, or in any way make use of the Deposited Securities represented by ADSs, except pursuant to and in accordance with the voting instructions timely received from Holders or as otherwise contemplated herein. Except as provided above, Deposited Securities represented by ADSs for which no timely voting instructions are received by the Depositary from the Holder shall not be voted.
Subject to applicable laws or rules of any securities exchange on which the Deposited Securities are listed or traded, at least three (3) business days prior to the date of a meeting, the Company shall receive from the Depositary, unless the Company has agreed to a later date, a tabulation of the voting instructions received from Holders of ADSs, if any, and the Depositary shall vote, or cause to be voted, the Deposited Securities represented by such Holders' ADSs in accordance with such instructions.
Notwithstanding anything else contained in the Deposit Agreement or any ADR to the contrary, and to the extent not prohibited by law or regulation, the Depositary and the Company may, by agreement between them, with notice to the Holders, modify, amend or adopt additional voting procedures from time to time as they determine may be necessary or appropriate (subject, in each case, to the terms of Sections 6.1 and 7.8 hereof).
The Company has informed the Depositary that, under French company law in effect as of the date of the Deposit Agreement, shareholders holding a certain percentage of the Company’s Shares, the workers’ council or the board of directors may submit a new resolution and the board of directors may also modify the resolutions proposed in the preliminary notice of meeting (avis de réunion), which notice must be published at least 35 days prior to the meeting date. In such case, Holders who have given prior instructions to vote on such resolutions shall be deemed to have voted in favor of the new or modified resolutions if approved by the Board and against if not approved by the Company’s board of directors.
The Company has informed the Depositary that the Company may require voting instructions to be delivered in writing. In such circumstances, Holders of ADSs may be required to deliver signed voting instruction cards to the Depositary.
5
Notwithstanding anything else contained in the Deposit Agreement or any ADR, the Depositary shall not have any obligation to take any action with respect to any meeting, or solicitation of consents or proxies, of holders of Deposited Securities if the taking of such action would violate U.S. or French laws. The Company agrees to take any and all actions reasonably necessary to enable Holders and Beneficial Owners to exercise the voting rights accruing to the Deposited Securities and to deliver to the Depositary an opinion of U.S. counsel addressing any actions requested to be taken if so reasonably requested by the Depositary.
There can be no assurance that Holders generally or any Holder in particular will receive the notice described above with sufficient time to enable the Holder to return voting instructions to the Depositary in a timely manner or at all.”
Depositary Fees payable upon (i) deposit of Shares against issuance of ADSs and (ii) surrender of ADSs for cancellation and withdrawal of Deposited Securities will be charged by the Depositary to the person to whom the ADSs so issued are delivered (in the case of ADS issuances) and to the person who delivers the ADSs for cancellation to the Depositary (in the case of ADS cancellations). In the case of ADSs issued by the Depositary into DTC or presented to the Depositary via DTC, the ADS issuance and cancellation fees will be payable to the Depositary by the DTC Participant(s) receiving the ADSs from the Depositary or the DTC Participant(s) surrendering the ADSs to the Depositary for cancellation, as the case may be, on behalf of the Beneficial Owner(s) and will be charged by the DTC Participant(s) to the account(s) of the applicable Beneficial Owner(s) in accordance with the procedures and practices of the DTC participant(s) as in effect at the time. Depositary fees in respect of distributions and the Depositary services fee are payable to the Depositary by Holders as of the applicable ADS Record Date established by the Depositary. In the case of distributions of cash, the amount of the applicable Depositary fees is deducted by the Depositary from the funds being distributed. In the case of distributions other than cash and the Depositary service fee, the Depositary will invoice the applicable Holders as of the ADS Record Date established by the Depositary. For ADSs held through DTC, the Depositary fees for distributions other than cash and the Depositary service fee are charged by the Depositary to the DTC Participants in accordance with the procedures and practices prescribed by DTC from time to time and the DTC Participants in turn charge the amount of such fees to the Beneficial Owners for whom they hold ADSs.
6
The Depositary may reimburse the Company for certain expenses incurred by the Company in respect of the ADR program established pursuant to the Deposit Agreement, by making available a portion of the Depositary fees charged in respect of the ADR program or otherwise, upon such terms and conditions as the Company and the Depositary agree from time to time. The Company shall pay to the Depositary such fees and charges and reimburse the Depositary for such out-of-pocket expenses as the Depositary and the Company may agree from time to time. Responsibility for payment of such charges and reimbursements may from time to time be changed by agreement between the Company and the Depositary. Unless otherwise agreed, the Depositary shall present its statement for such expenses and fees or charges to the Company once every three months. The charges and expenses of the Custodian are for the sole account of the Depositary.
The right of the Depositary to receive payment of fees, charges and expenses as provided above shall survive the termination of the Deposit Agreement. As to any Depositary, upon the resignation or removal of such Depositary as described in Section 5.4, such right shall extend for those fees, charges and expenses incurred prior to the effectiveness of such resignation or removal.”
ARTICLE III
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(i)
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Issuance Fee: to any person depositing Shares or to whom ADSs are issued upon the deposit of Shares (excluding issuances as a result of distributions described in paragraph (iv) below), a fee not in excess of U.S. $5.00 per 100 ADSs (or fraction thereof) so issued under the terms of the Deposit Agreement;
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(ii)
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Cancellation Fee: to any person surrendering ADSs for cancellation and withdrawal of Deposited Securities or to any person to whom Deposited Securities are delivered, a fee not in excess of U.S. $5.00 per 100 ADSs (or fraction thereof) surrendered;
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(iii)
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Cash Distribution Fee: to any Holder of ADSs, a fee not in excess of U.S. $5.00 per 100 ADSs (or fraction thereof) held for the distribution of cash dividends or other cash distributions (i.e., sale of rights and other entitlements);
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7
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(iv)
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Stock Distribution /Rights Exercise Fee: to any Holder of ADS(s), a fee not in excess of U.S. $5.00 per 100 ADSs (or fraction thereof) held for (a) the distribution of stock dividends or other free stock distributions or (b) the exercise of rights to purchase additional ADSs;
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(v)
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Other Distribution Fee: to any Holder of ADS(s), a fee not in excess of U.S. $5.00 per 100 ADSs (or fraction thereof) held for the distribution of securities other than ADSs or rights to purchase additional ADSs; and
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(vi)
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Depositary Services Fee: to any Holder of ADS(s), a fee not in excess of U.S. $5.00 per 100 ADSs (or fraction thereof) held on the applicable record date(s) established by the Depositary.
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In addition, Holders, Beneficial Owners, persons depositing Shares and persons surrendering ADSs for cancellation and for the purpose of withdrawing Deposited Securities shall be responsible for the following charges:
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(i)
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taxes (including applicable interest and penalties) and other governmental charges;
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(ii)
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such registration fees as may from time to time be in effect for the registration of Shares or other Deposited Securities on the share register and applicable to transfers of Shares or other Deposited Securities to or from the name of the Custodian, the Depositary or any nominees upon the making of deposits and withdrawals, respectively;
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(iii)
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such cable, telex and facsimile transmission and delivery expenses as are expressly provided in the Deposit Agreement to be at the expense of the person depositing or withdrawing Shares or Holders and Beneficial Owners of ADSs;
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(iv)
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the expenses and charges incurred by the Depositary in the conversion of foreign currency;
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(v)
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such fees and expenses as are incurred by the Depositary in connection with compliance with exchange control regulations and other regulatory requirements applicable to Shares, Deposited Securities, ADSs and ADRs; and
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(vi)
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the fees and expenses incurred by the Depositary, the Custodian, or any nominee in connection with the delivery or servicing of Deposited Securities.
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All fees and charges may, at any time and from time to time, be changed by agreement between the Depositary and Company but, in the case of fees and charges payable by Holders or Beneficial Owners, only in the manner contemplated by paragraph (22) of this ADR and as contemplated in the Deposit Agreement. The Depositary will provide, without charge, a copy of its latest fee schedule to anyone upon request.
8
Depositary Fees payable upon (i) deposit of Shares against issuance of ADSs and (ii) surrender of ADSs for cancellation and withdrawal of Deposited Securities will be charged by the Depositary to the person to whom the ADSs so issued are delivered (in the case of ADS issuances) and to the person who delivers the ADSs for cancellation to the Depositary (in the case of ADS cancellations). In the case of ADSs issued by the Depositary into DTC or presented to the Depositary via DTC, the ADS issuance and cancellation fees will be payable to the Depositary by the DTC Participant(s) receiving the ADSs from the Depositary or the DTC Participant(s) surrendering the ADSs to the Depositary for cancellation, as the case may be, on behalf of the Beneficial Owner(s) and will be charged by the DTC Participant(s) to the account(s) of the applicable Beneficial Owner(s) in accordance with the procedures and practices of the DTC participant(s) as in effect at the time. Depositary fees in respect of distributions and the Depositary services fee are payable to the Depositary by Holders as of the applicable ADS Record Date established by the Depositary. In the case of distributions of cash, the amount of the applicable Depositary fees is deducted by the Depositary from the funds being distributed. In the case of distributions other than cash and the Depositary service fee, the Depositary will invoice the applicable Holders as of the ADS Record Date established by the Depositary. For ADSs held through DTC, the Depositary fees for distributions other than cash and the Depositary service fee are charged by the Depositary to the DTC Participants in accordance with the procedures and practices prescribed by DTC from time to time and the DTC Participants in turn charge the amount of such fees to the Beneficial Owners for whom they hold ADSs.
The Depositary may reimburse the Company for certain expenses incurred by the Company in respect of the ADR program established pursuant to the Deposit Agreement, by making available a portion of the Depositary fees charged in respect of the ADR program or otherwise, upon such terms and conditions as the Company and the Depositary agree from time to time. The Company shall pay to the Depositary such fees and charges and reimburse the Depositary for such out-of-pocket expenses as the Depositary and the Company may agree from time to time. Responsibility for payment of such charges and reimbursements may from time to time be changed by agreement between the Company and the Depositary. Unless otherwise agreed, the Depositary shall present its statement for such expenses and fees or charges to the Company once every three months. The charges and expenses of the Custodian are for the sole account of the Depositary.
The right of the Depositary to receive payment of fees, charges and expenses as provided above shall survive the termination of the Deposit Agreement. As to any Depositary, upon the resignation or removal of such Depositary as described in Section 5.4, such right shall extend for those fees, charges and expenses incurred prior to the effectiveness of such resignation or removal.”
(b) The form of ADR attached as Exhibit A to the Deposit Agreement and each of the ADRs issued and outstanding under the terms of the Deposit Agreement is hereby amended as of the Effective Date by deleting paragraph (18) thereof in its entirety and inserting the following in its stead:
9
Notwithstanding anything contained in the Deposit Agreement or any ADR, the Depositary may, to the extent not prohibited by law or regulations, the Articles of Association, or by the requirements of any stock exchange on which the ADSs may be listed, in lieu of distribution of the materials provided to the Depositary in connection with any meeting of, or solicitation of consents or proxies from, holders of Deposited Securities, distribute to the Holders a notice that provides Holders with, or otherwise publicize to Holders, instructions on how to retrieve such materials or receive such materials upon request (i.e., by reference to a website containing the materials for retrieval or a contact for requesting copies of the materials).
The Company has informed the Depositary that, as of the date of the Deposit Agreement, under French company law and the Company's Articles of Association, (i) the record date for holders of Shares to vote at a shareholders meeting is at least three (3) business days (such date as may be established from time to time, the “Share Record Date”), (ii) in order to exercise voting rights holders of Shares in registered form must have their Shares registered in their own name, or in the name of a registered financial intermediary (intermédiaire inscrit), in a share account maintained by or on behalf of the Company as of the Share Record Date, (iii) in order to exercise voting rights holders of Shares in bearer form are required to have their Shares registered in the name of a registered financial intermediary (intermédiaire inscrit) and obtain from an accredited financial intermediary (intermédiaire habilité), and provide to the Company, an attendance certificate (attestation de participation) attesting to the registration of such Shares in the financial intermediary’s account as of the Share Record Date, and (iv) the voting form must be delivered to the Company at least three (3) days prior to the date of the shareholders’ meeting (voting forms sent by electronic form can be received by the Company up to the day immediately preceding the meeting date at 3:00 pm Paris time).
10
In accordance with the foregoing, a Holder as of the ADS Record Date who desires to exercise its voting rights with respect to ADSs representing Shares in registered or bearer form is required to: (a) be a Holder of the ADSs as of the Share Record Date, (b) deliver voting instructions to the Depositary, in a form acceptable to the Company and the Depositary, by the date established by the Depositary for such purpose (the “Receipt Date”), (c) instruct the Depositary to request that the Custodian deliver a voting form (formulaire de vote à distance) to the Company prior to the deadline established by the Company, and (d) in the case of ADSs representing Shares in bearer form, instruct the Depositary to request that the Custodian deposit the requisite attendance certificate (attestation de participation) with the Company. The delivery of voting instructions shall be deemed instructions to request delivery of the voting form and the attendance certificate.
Upon receipt by the Depositary of (i) the voting instructions, in a form acceptable to the Company and the Depositary, on or before the Receipt Date, and (ii) evidence satisfactory to the Depositary that the applicable conditions of the preceding paragraph have been satisfied, the Depositary shall endeavor, insofar as practicable and permitted under any applicable provisions of French law and the Company's Articles of Association, to cause to be voted the Shares represented by such ADSs in accordance with any non-discretionary instructions set forth in such voting instructions. The Depositary will only cause to be voted Shares represented by ADSs in respect of which valid voting instructions have been received and only in accordance with such voting instructions. If the Depositary receives from a Holder (who has otherwise satisfied all conditions to voting contemplated herein) voting instructions which fail to specify the manner in which the Depositary is to vote the Deposited Securities represented by such Holder's ADSs, the Depositary will deem such Holder (unless otherwise specified in the notice distributed to Holders) to have instructed the Depositary to vote in favor of all resolutions endorsed by the Company’s board of directors.
The Depositary will not knowingly take any action to impair its ability to carry out the voting instructions of Beneficial Owners of ADSs delivered to it by DTC, any DTC Participants or any of their agents. In the case of voting instructions received in respect of any Beneficial Owner of ADSs as of the ADS Record Date who is not the Holder of the ADSs on the books of the Depositary, the Depositary will not cause to be voted the number of Shares represented by such ADSs unless the Depositary has received evidence (reasonably satisfactory to it and to the Company) that such number of ADSs continue to be held by such Beneficial Owner as of the Share Record Date. Except as provided above, the Depositary will not cause to be voted Shares represented by ADSs in respect of which the voting instructions are improperly completed or in respect of which (and to the extent) the voting instructions are illegible or unclear. The Depositary will not charge any fees in connection with the foregoing transactions to enable any Holder to exercise its voting rights under the Deposit Agreement.
11
Voting instructions may be given only in respect of a number of ADSs representing an integral number of Deposited Securities. Neither the Depositary nor the Custodian shall under any circumstances exercise any discretion as to voting and neither the Depositary nor the Custodian shall vote, attempt to exercise the right to vote, or in any way make use of the Deposited Securities represented by ADSs, except pursuant to and in accordance with the voting instructions timely received from Holders or as otherwise contemplated herein. Except as provided above, Deposited Securities represented by ADSs for which no timely voting instructions are received by the Depositary from the Holder shall not be voted.
Subject to applicable laws or rules of any securities exchange on which the Deposited Securities are listed or traded, at least three (3) business days prior to the date of a meeting, the Company shall receive from the Depositary, unless the Company has agreed to a later date, a tabulation of the voting instructions received from Holders of ADSs, if any, and the Depositary shall vote, or cause to be voted, the Deposited Securities represented by such Holders' ADSs in accordance with such instructions.
Notwithstanding anything else contained in the Deposit Agreement or any ADR to the contrary, and to the extent not prohibited by law or regulation, the Depositary and the Company may, by agreement between them, with notice to the Holders, modify, amend or adopt additional voting procedures from time to time as they determine may be necessary or appropriate (subject, in each case, to the terms of Sections 6.1 and 7.8 of the Deposit Agreement).
The Company has informed the Depositary that, under French company law in effect as of the date of the Deposit Agreement, shareholders holding a certain percentage of the Company’s Shares, the workers’ council or the board of directors may submit a new resolution and the board of directors may also modify the resolutions proposed in the preliminary notice of meeting (avis de réunion), which notice must be published at least 35 days prior to the meeting date. In such case, Holders who have given prior instructions to vote on such resolutions shall be deemed to have voted in favor of the new or modified resolutions if approved by the Board and against if not approved by the Company’s board of directors.
The Company has informed the Depositary that the Company may require voting instructions to be delivered in writing. In such circumstances, Holders of ADSs may be required to deliver signed voting instruction cards to the Depositary.
Notwithstanding anything else contained in the Deposit Agreement or any ADR, the Depositary shall not have any obligation to take any action with respect to any meeting, or solicitation of consents or proxies, of holders of Deposited Securities if the taking of such action would violate U.S. or French laws. The Company agrees to take any and all actions reasonably necessary to enable Holders and Beneficial Owners to exercise the voting rights accruing to the Deposited Securities and to deliver to the Depositary an opinion of U.S. counsel addressing any actions requested to be taken if so reasonably requested by the Depositary.
There can be no assurance that Holders generally or any Holder in particular will receive the notice described above with sufficient time to enable the Holder to return voting instructions to the Depositary in a timely manner or at all.”
12
ARTICLE IV
ARTICLE V
(a) This Amendment, when executed and delivered by the Company, and the Deposit Agreement and all other documentation executed and delivered by the Company in connection therewith, will be and have been, respectively, duly and validly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company, and constitute the legal, valid and binding obligations of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with their 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
(b) In order to ensure the legality, validity, enforceability or admissibility into evidence of this Amendment or the Deposit Agreement as amended hereby, and 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 be paid in The Republic of France on or in respect of such agreements; and
13
(c) All of the information provided to the Depositary by the Company in connection with this Amendment is true, accurate and correct.
ARTICLE VI
14
SECTION 6.05. Governing Law. This Amendment shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York without reference to its principles of choice of law.
AIR FRANCE-KLM
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By:
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Name: Alexandre de Juniac
Title: Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
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CITIBANK, N.A., as Depositary
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By:
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Name:
Title:
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15
EXHIBIT A
Number___________ |
CUSIP Number ________
American Depositary Shares
(each American Depositary Share
representing one (1)
Ordinary Share, nominal value
(euro) 1.00 per share)
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[FORM OF FACE OF]
AMERICAN DEPOSITARY RECEIPT
FOR
AMERICAN DEPOSITARY SHARES,
representing
DEPOSITED SHARES,
of
AIR FRANCE-KLM
(Incorporated under the laws of The Republic of France)
CITIBANK, N.A., a national banking association organized and existing under the laws of the United States of America, as depositary (the “Depositary”), hereby certifies that is the owner of American Depositary Shares (hereinafter “ADSs”), representing deposited ordinary shares, nominal value (euro) 1.00 per share, including evidence of rights to receive such ordinary shares (the “Shares”), of Air France-KLM, a corporation incorporated under the laws of The Republic of France (the “Company”). As of the date of the ADS Deposit Agreement (as hereinafter defined), each ADS represents one (1) Share deposited under the ADS Deposit Agreement with the Custodian, which at the date of execution of the ADS Deposit Agreement is Citibank International Plc - Paris branch (the “Custodian”). The ADS-to-Share ratio is subject to amendment as provided in Articles IV and VI of the ADS Deposit Agreement. The Depositary's Principal Office is located at 000 Xxxx Xxxxxx, Xxx Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx 00000, X.X.X.
A-1
The statements made on the face and reverse of this ADR are summaries of certain provisions of the ADS Deposit Agreement and the Articles of Association of the Company (as in effect on the date of the signing of the ADS Deposit Agreement) and are qualified by and subject to the detailed provisions of the ADS Deposit Agreement and the Articles of Association, to which reference is hereby made. All capitalized terms used herein which are not otherwise defined herein shall have the meanings ascribed thereto in the ADS Deposit Agreement. The Depositary makes no representation or warranty as to the validity or worth of the Deposited Securities. The Depositary has made arrangements for the acceptance of the ADSs into DTC. Each Beneficial Owner of ADSs held through DTC must rely on the procedures of DTC and the DTC Participants to exercise and be entitled to any rights attributable to such ADSs.
A-2
Upon satisfaction of each of the conditions specified above, the Depositary (i) shall cancel the ADSs Delivered to it (and, if applicable, the ADRs evidencing the ADSs so Delivered), (ii) shall direct the Registrar to record the cancellation of the ADSs so Delivered on the books maintained for such purpose, and (iii) shall direct the Custodian to Deliver (without unreasonable delay) the Deposited Securities represented by the ADSs so canceled together with any certificate or other document of title for the Deposited Securities, or evidence of the electronic transfer thereof (if available), as the case may be, to or upon the written order of the person(s) designated in the order delivered to the Depositary for such purpose, subject however, in each case, to the terms and conditions of the ADS Deposit Agreement, of this ADR, of the Articles of Association of the Company, of any applicable laws and the rules of the Euroclear France, and to the terms and conditions of or governing the Deposited Securities, in each case as in effect at the time thereof.
The Depositary shall not accept for surrender ADSs representing less than one Share. In the case of Delivery to it of ADSs representing a number other than a whole number of Shares, the Depositary shall cause ownership of the appropriate whole number of Shares to be Delivered in accordance with the terms hereof, and shall, at the discretion of the Depositary, either (i) return to the person surrendering such ADSs the number of ADSs representing any remaining fractional Share, or (ii) sell or cause to be sold the fractional Share represented by the ADSs so surrendered and remit the proceeds of such sale (net of (a) applicable fees and charges of, and expenses incurred by, the Depositary and (b) taxes withheld) to the person surrendering the ADSs. Notwithstanding anything else contained in this ADR or the ADS Deposit Agreement, the Depositary may make delivery at the Principal Office of the Depositary of (i) any cash dividends or cash distributions, or (ii) any proceeds from the sale of any distributions of shares or rights, which are at the time held by the Depositary in respect of the Deposited Securities represented by the ADSs surrendered for cancellation and withdrawal. At the request, risk and expense of any Holder so surrendering ADSs represented by this ADR, and for the account of such Holder, the Depositary shall direct the Custodian to forward (to the extent permitted by law) any cash or other property (other than securities) held by the Custodian in respect of the Deposited Securities represented by such ADSs to the Depositary for delivery at the Principal Office of the Depositary. Such direction shall be given by letter or, at the request, risk and expense of such Holder, by cable, telex or facsimile transmission.
(3) Transfer, Combination and Split-Up of ADRs. The Registrar shall register the transfer of this ADR (and of the ADSs represented hereby) on the books maintained for such purpose and the Depositary shall (x) cancel this ADR and execute new ADRs evidencing the same aggregate number of ADSs as those evidenced by this ADR when canceled by the Depositary, (y) cause the Registrar to countersign such new ADRs, and (z) Deliver such new ADRs to or upon the order of the person entitled thereto, if each of the following conditions has been satisfied: (i) this ADR has been duly Delivered by the Holder (or by a duly authorized attorney of the Holder) to the Depositary at its Principal Office for the purpose of effecting a transfer thereof, (ii) this ADR has been properly endorsed or is accompanied by proper instruments of transfer (including signature guarantees in accordance with standard securities industry practice), (iii) this ADR has been duly stamped (if required by the laws of the State of New York or of the United States), and (iv) all applicable fees and charges of, and expenses incurred by, the Depositary and all applicable taxes and governmental charges (as are set forth in Section 5.9 of, and Exhibit B to, the ADS Deposit Agreement) have been paid, subject, however, in each case, to the terms and conditions of this ADR, of the ADS Deposit Agreement, of the Company's Articles of Association and of applicable law and to any provisions of or governing the Deposit Securities, in each case as in effect at the time thereof.
A-3
The Registrar shall register the split-up or combination of this ADR (and of the ADSs represented hereby) on the books maintained for such purpose and the Depositary shall (x) cancel this ADR and execute new ADRs for the number of ADSs requested, but in the aggregate not exceeding the number of ADSs evidenced by this ADR (when canceled by the Depositary), (y) cause the Registrar to countersign such new ADRs, and (z) Deliver such new ADRs to or upon the order of the Holder thereof, if each of the following conditions has been satisfied: (i) this ADR has been duly Delivered by the Holder (or by a duly authorized attorney of the Holder) to the Depositary at its Principal Office for the purpose of effecting a split-up or combination hereof, and (ii) all applicable fees and charges of, and expenses incurred by, the Depositary and all applicable taxes and government charges (as are set forth in Section 5.9 of, and Exhibit B to, the ADS Deposit Agreement) have been paid, subject, however, in each case, to the terms and conditions of this ADR, of the ADS Deposit Agreement, of the Company’s Articles of Association and of applicable law and to any provisions of or governing the Deposit Securities, in each case as in effect at the time thereof.
The issuance of ADSs against deposits of Shares generally or against deposits of particular Shares may be suspended, or the deposit of particular Shares may be refused, or the registration of transfer of ADRs in particular instances may be refused, or the registration of transfer of ADRs generally may be suspended, during any period when the transfer books of the Company, the Depositary, a Registrar or the Share Registrar are closed or if any such action is deemed necessary or advisable by the Depositary or the Company, in good faith, at any time or from time to time because of any requirement of law, any government or governmental body or commission or any securities exchange upon which the Shares or ADSs are listed, or under any provision of the ADS Deposit Agreement or this ADR, or under any provision of, or governing, the Deposited Securities, or because of a meeting of shareholders of the Company or for any other reason, subject in all cases to paragraph (24) hereof. Notwithstanding any provision of the ADS Deposit Agreement or this ADR to the contrary, Holders are entitled to surrender outstanding ADSs to withdraw the Deposited Securities at any time subject only to (i) temporary delays caused by closing the transfer books of the Depositary or the Company or the deposit of Shares in connection with voting at a shareholders meeting or the payment of dividends, (ii) the payment of fees, taxes and similar charges, (iii) compliance with any U.S. or foreign laws or governmental regulations relating to the ADRs or to the withdrawal of the Deposited Securities, and (iv) other circumstances specifically contemplated by Instruction I.A. (l) of the General Instructions to Form F-6 (as such General Instructions may be amended from time to time).
A-4
(5) Compliance With Information Requests. Notwithstanding any other provision of the ADS Deposit Agreement or this ADR, each Holder and Beneficial Owner of the ADSs represented hereby agrees to comply with requests from the Company pursuant to applicable law, the rules and requirements of The New York Stock Exchange, Inc., and of any other stock exchange on which Shares or ADSs are, or will be, registered, traded or listed or the Articles of Association of the Company, which are made to provide information, inter alia, as to the capacity in which such Holder or Beneficial Owner owns ADSs (and Shares, as the case may be) and regarding the identity of any other person(s) interested in such ADSs and the nature of such interest and various other matters, whether or not they are Holders and/or Beneficial Owners at the time of such request.
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(i)
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each ADS is, and the terms and conditions upon which it is held by such Holder and Beneficial Owner are, subject to the Articles of Association and applicable French law (including Articles L. 360-1 to L. 360-4 and R. 360-1 to R. 360-5 of the French Code of Civil Aviation);
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(ii)
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the Depositary and the Custodian, as registered holders of the Shares represented by the ADSs, are subject to the 45% Threshold Event Procedures, in their capacity as representatives of all Holders and Beneficial Owners of ADSs;
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(iii)
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such Holders and Beneficial Owners ADSs represent a direct or indirect interest in the Shares underlying such ADSs and, as such, the share capital and voting rights of the Company (except as otherwise provided in the Articles of Association);
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(iv)
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so long as a 45% Threshold Event shall continue the Company may implement the 45% Threshold Event Procedures concerning any Holder or Beneficial Owner upon the terms and conditions contemplated herein and such Holder or Beneficial Owner shall comply with such 45% Threshold Event Procedures;
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(v)
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to the extent it may legally do so, it will provide certain information that is requested by the Company under statutory provisions of French law or the Articles of Association, including, among other matters, information as to the identity of persons who have interests in the deposited Shares;
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A-5
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(vi)
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the Company is entitled to issue formal requests and writs of summons for the sale of Shares, in one or more phases, in enforcement of the 45% Limitation and that such formal requests shall be issued by the Company initially to Non-E.U. Holders and, thereafter, to E.U. Holders; and
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(vii)
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the Shares covered by the formal requests and writs of summons described in clause (vi) above shall be determined by the Company in reverse chronological order of registration in the Company’s share register, beginning with the most recently registered shares;
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(viii)
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following application of (vii) above, if more than one shareholder holds a number of Shares registered on the same date on the books of the Company and exceeding the balance of the Shares to which the same formal request procedure is to be applied, such balance shall be split between those holders in proportion to the Shares concerned.
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(i)
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refuse to register any issuance of ADSs in respect of shares described in the Non-E.U. 45% Threshold Event Notice to such Non-E.U. Holder and shall refuse to register any transfer of Non-E.U. ADSs, whose underlying shares are mentioned in the Non-E.U. 45% Threshold Event Notice, by such Non-E.U. Holder on the register of the Depositary, in each case, other than in accordance with the procedures set forth in the French 2003 Air Carrier Law and the Articles of Association or until the Company has withdrawn the Non-E.U. 45% Threshold Event Notice in respect of Non-E.U. ADSs;
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(ii)
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deny the voting rights attaching to Non-E.U. ADSs owned by such Non-E.U. Holder, to the extent that the voting rights of the deposited Shares underlying such Non-E.U. ADSs are denied to the Depositary as notified in the Non-E.U. 45% Threshold Event Notice or until the Company has withdrawn the Non-E.U. 45% Threshold Event Notice in respect of such Non-E.U. ADSs; and
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(iii)
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send written notice to such Non-E.U. Holder stating, inter alia, that: (x) the Depositary has received a Non-E.U. 45% Threshold Event Notice, (y) such Non-E.U. Holder must within 15 days of receipt of the Non-E.U 45% Threshold Event Notice by the Depositary, sell the Non-E.U. ADSs or underlying Shares (to the Company’s satisfaction), and (z) if the sale provided for in (y) above is not made to the Company’s satisfaction within two (2) months of the Non-E.U. 45% Threshold Event Notice and if such Non-E.U. 45% Threshold Event Notice has not been withdrawn,
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(A)
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any or all Shares underlying the Non-E.U. ADSs may be sold pursuant to the Article 16 of the Articles of Association and French law, and
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A-6
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(B)
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if any such sale is made, such Non-E.U. ADSs shall thereafter represent only the right to receive any net cash proceeds received (after deduction of all applicable fees, taxes and expenses) by the Depositary in connection with such sale and any unsold Shares and any other Deposited Securities and, upon surrender of such Non-E.U. ADSs, the Non-E.U. Holder thereof shall be entitled to withdraw such cash and such underlying Shares and other Deposited Securities in the manner set forth in Section 2.7 of the ADS Deposit Agreement.
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(i)
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refuse to register any issuance of ADSs in respect of shares described in the E.U. 45% Threshold Event Notice to such E.U. Holder and shall refuse to register any transfer of E.U. ADSs, whose underlying Shares are mentioned in the E.U. 45% Threshold Event Notice, by such E.U. Holder on the register of the Depositary, in each case, other than in accordance with the procedures set forth in the French 2003 Air Carrier Law and the Articles of Association or until the Company has withdrawn the E.U. 45% Threshold Event Notice in respect of E.U. ADSs;
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(ii)
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deny the voting rights attaching to E.U. ADSs owned by the specified E.U. Holder, to the extent that the voting rights of the deposited Shares underlying such E.U. ADSs are denied to the Depositary as notified in the E.U. 45% Threshold Event Notice or until the Company has withdrawn the E.U. 45% Threshold Event Notice in respect of E.U. ADSs; and
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(iii)
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send written notice to such E.U. Holder stating, inter alia, that: (x) the Depositary has received an E.U. 45% Threshold Event Notice, (y) such E.U. Holder must within 15 days of receipt of the E.U 45% Threshold Event Notice by the Depositary, sell the E.U. ADSs or underlying Shares (to the Company's satisfaction), and (z) if the sale provided for in (y) above is not made to the Company's satisfaction within two (2) months of the E.U. 45% Threshold Event Notice and if such E.U. 45% Threshold Event Notice has not been withdrawn,
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A-7
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(A)
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any or all Shares underlying the E.U. ADSs may be sold pursuant to Article 16 of the Articles of Association and French law, and
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(B)
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if any such sale is made, such E.U. ADSs shall thereafter represent only the right to receive any net cash proceeds received (after deduction of all applicable fees, taxes and expenses) by the Depositary in connection with such sale and any unsold Shares and any other Deposited Securities and, upon surrender of such E.U. ADSs, the E.U. Holder thereof shall be entitled to withdraw such cash and such underlying Shares and other Deposited Securities in the manner set forth in Section 2.7 of the ADS Deposit Agreement.
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A-8
Pursuant to French law and the Company's Articles of Association, any person or entity that becomes the owner, directly or indirectly, alone or in concert with other persons, of more than one-twentieth, one-tenth, three-twentieths, one-fifth, one-quarter, one-third, one-half, two-thirds, eighteen-twentieths or nineteen twentieths of the share capital or voting rights (or securities or voting rights representing Shares (which includes ADSs), as discussed below in this Article, must so notify the Company by registered letter within five (5) trading days, and the Autorite des Marches Financiers within five (5) trading days, of the date such threshold has been crossed, of the number of Shares it holds or is entitled to hold and the voting rights attached thereto. A holder of Shares is also required to notify the Company and the Autorite des Marches Financiers if the percentage of share capital or voting rights owned by such holder falls below the levels described in the previous sentence. In addition, any person acquiring more than 10% or 20% of the outstanding share capital or voting rights of the Company must file a report within 10 trading days with the Company and the Autorite des Marches Financiers, which makes such report available to the public by means of a notice. This report must state whether the acquiror is acting alone or in concert with others and indicate its intention for the following 12-month period, including whether or not it intends to continue its purchases, to acquire the control of the Company or to seek nomination (for itself or for others) to the Company's board of directors. The acquiror must also publish a press release stating its intentions in a prescribed manner. The acquiror may modify its initial intentions in a new statement, provided that this is done on the basis of significant changes in its own situation or those of its shareholders. Upon any change in intention, it must file a new report. Under the regulations of the Autorite des Marches Financiers and subject to limited exemptions, any person, or persons acting in concert, who comes to own more than 33.3% of the share capital or voting rights of the Company must initiate a public tender offer for the remainder of the share capital of the Company. In order to permit holders of share capital or voting rights to give the notice required by law, the Company is obligated to file with the Bulletin des Annonces Legales Obligatoires (“BALO”) and with the Autorite des Marches Financiers, within fifteen (15) calendar days of the Company's annual ordinary general meeting, information with respect to the total number of votes available as of the date of such meeting. If the number of Shares or available votes changes, the Company is required to publish each month, and to file with the Autorite des Marches Financiers, the number of Shares and the number of votes then available.
In the event that a Holder or Beneficial Owner fails to comply with the requirements set forth in the preceding paragraph, such Holder or Beneficial Owner shall not be permitted, in accordance with, and subject to limitations provided under French law, to exercise voting rights with respect to any Shares or securities representing Shares exceeding the above-referenced thresholds as to which any required disclosure (as set forth in the preceding paragraph) has not been made until the end of a two-year (2) period following the date on which such Holder or Beneficial Owner has complied with such disclosure requirement. In addition, a French court may, under certain circumstances, eliminate all or part of the voting rights of such Holder or Beneficial Owner for a period not to exceed five (5) years, and such Holder or Beneficial Owner may be subject to criminal penalties.
In addition, the Company's Articles of Association, as in effect as of the date hereof, provide that any shareholder who directly or indirectly, acting alone or in concert with others, acquires ownership or control of Shares (which includes Shares represented by ADSs) representing 0.5% or any multiple thereof of the Company's share capital and/or voting rights, or whose shareholding falls below any such limit, must inform the Company, within fifteen (15) days of the crossing of the relevant threshold up to and including the time when such Holder's or Beneficial Owner's ownership equals 50% of the Company's share capital and/or voting rights, of the number of Shares then owned by such shareholder. Failure to comply with these notification requirements may result in the Shares in excess of the relevant threshold being deprived of voting rights for all shareholder meetings until the end of a two-year (2) period following the date on which the owner thereof has complied with such notification requirements. Notification shall be made by registered letter with acknowledgment of receipt, stating whether or not the Shares are held on behalf of, under the control of, or in concert with, other legal or natural persons and indicating the date of acquisition or disposition of the Shares triggering such notification and the amount of Shares and voting rights then held by such person.
A-9
In the event that a Holder or Beneficial Owner fails to comply with the requirements of the Company's Articles of Association set forth in the preceding paragraph, such Holder or Beneficial Owner, upon request of a holder or holders of 5% or more of the share capital of the Company, shall not be permitted, in accordance with, and subject to the limitations provided under French law, to exercise voting rights with respect to any Shares or shares assimilated to Shares as to which any required disclosure (as set forth in the preceding paragraph) has not been made. Such disqualification shall only apply to Shares in excess of the applicable threshold.
Any person or entity that becomes the Holder or Beneficial Owner, directly or indirectly, or in concert with other shareholders of shares or Shares assimilated to Shares (which include ADSs), as discussed above in this paragraph, representing 2% or more of the share capital of the Company must provide the Company, within five (5) calendar days of reaching such ownership level, with a written notice requesting that all such Shares, as well as any Shares subsequently acquired in excess of that amount, be in registered form. Additionally, pursuant to Article 9 of the Articles of Association, Air France's board of directors may, under certain circumstances, lower such ownership level to 10,000 Shares or shares assimilated to Shares (which include ADSs) or extend these notification requirements to all shareholders. In order to facilitate compliance with these notification requirements, a Holder of ADSs may deliver to the Depositary its request that a number of Shares represented by such Holder's or Beneficial Owner's ADSs be denominated in registered form. Upon receiving such request, as soon as practicable thereafter, the Depositary shall request the Custodian to denominate such Shares in registered form and to thereafter promptly notify the Depositary and the Company that such change has been effectuated at such Holder's or Beneficial Owner's request.
In addition, a non-resident of France, a non-French company or any group of non-French residents or non-French companies acting in concert or any foreign controlled resident must file a declaration administrative, or administrative notice, with French authorities if its actions would result in (i) its acquisition of more than 33.33% of the share capital or voting rights of the Company, or (ii) an increase in ownership above 33.33% of the share capital or of the voting rights of the Company, unless such non-French resident, group of non-French residents or non-French company or group of non-French companies already controls more than half of the share capital of the Company or voting rights prior to such acquisition or increase. Under such existing administrative rulings, ownership of a French company in which 33.33% or more of the share capital or voting rights are held by a foreign national gives rise to an obligation to file a declaration administrative with the French authorities.
The above provisions relating to Shares or voting rights held by a person or an entity also apply to (i) Shares or voting rights held by another person or entity on behalf of such person or entity, (ii) Shares or voting rights held by any company which is directly or indirectly controlled by such person or entity, (iii) Shares or voting rights held by a third party acting in concert with such person or entity or (iv) Shares or voting rights that such person or entity, or any person or entity referred to in (i), (ii) or (iii) above, is entitled to acquire at its sole option by virtue of an agreement.
A-10
In order to facilitate compliance with the notification requirements, a Holder or Beneficial Owner may deliver any notification to the Depositary with respect to Shares represented by ADSs evidenced by ADRs, and the Depositary shall, as soon as practicable, forward such notification to the Company.
A-11
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(i)
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Issuance Fee: to any person depositing Shares or to whom ADSs are issued upon the deposit of Shares (excluding issuances as a result of distributions described in paragraph (iv) below), a fee not in excess of U.S. $5.00 per 100 ADSs (or fraction thereof) so issued under the terms of the Deposit Agreement;
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(ii)
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Cancellation Fee: to any person surrendering ADSs for cancellation and withdrawal of Deposited Securities or to any person to whom Deposited Securities are delivered, a fee not in excess of U.S. $5.00 per 100 ADSs (or fraction thereof) surrendered;
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(iii)
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Cash Distribution Fee: to any Holder of ADSs, a fee not in excess of U.S. $5.00 per 100 ADSs (or fraction thereof) held for the distribution of cash dividends or other cash distributions (i.e., sale of rights and other entitlements);
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(iv)
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Stock Distribution /Rights Exercise Fee: to any Holder of ADS(s), a fee not in excess of U.S. $5.00 per 100 ADSs (or fraction thereof) held for (a) the distribution of stock dividends or other free stock distributions or (b) the exercise of rights to purchase additional ADSs;
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(v)
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Other Distribution Fee: to any Holder of ADS(s), a fee not in excess of U.S. $5.00 per 100 ADSs (or fraction thereof) held for the distribution of securities other than ADSs or rights to purchase additional ADSs; and
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(vi)
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Depositary Services Fee: to any Holder of ADS(s), a fee not in excess of U.S. $5.00 per 100 ADSs (or fraction thereof) held on the applicable record date(s) established by the Depositary.
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A-12
In addition, Holders, Beneficial Owners, persons depositing Shares and persons surrendering ADSs for cancellation and for the purpose of withdrawing Deposited Securities shall be responsible for the following charges:
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(i)
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taxes (including applicable interest and penalties) and other governmental charges;
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(ii)
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such registration fees as may from time to time be in effect for the registration of Shares or other Deposited Securities on the share register and applicable to transfers of Shares or other Deposited Securities to or from the name of the Custodian, the Depositary or any nominees upon the making of deposits and withdrawals, respectively;
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(iii)
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such cable, telex and facsimile transmission and delivery expenses as are expressly provided in the Deposit Agreement to be at the expense of the person depositing or withdrawing Shares or Holders and Beneficial Owners of ADSs;
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(iv)
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the expenses and charges incurred by the Depositary in the conversion of foreign currency;
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(v)
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such fees and expenses as are incurred by the Depositary in connection with compliance with exchange control regulations and other regulatory requirements applicable to Shares, Deposited Securities, ADSs and ADRs; and
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(vi)
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the fees and expenses incurred by the Depositary, the Custodian, or any nominee in connection with the delivery or servicing of Deposited Securities.
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All fees and charges may, at any time and from time to time, be changed by agreement between the Depositary and Company but, in the case of fees and charges payable by Holders or Beneficial Owners, only in the manner contemplated by paragraph (22) of this ADR and as contemplated in the Deposit Agreement. The Depositary will provide, without charge, a copy of its latest fee schedule to anyone upon request.
Depositary Fees payable upon (i) deposit of Shares against issuance of ADSs and (ii) surrender of ADSs for cancellation and withdrawal of Deposited Securities will be charged by the Depositary to the person to whom the ADSs so issued are delivered (in the case of ADS issuances) and to the person who delivers the ADSs for cancellation to the Depositary (in the case of ADS cancellations). In the case of ADSs issued by the Depositary into DTC or presented to the Depositary via DTC, the ADS issuance and cancellation fees will be payable to the Depositary by the DTC Participant(s) receiving the ADSs from the Depositary or the DTC Participant(s) surrendering the ADSs to the Depositary for cancellation, as the case may be, on behalf of the Beneficial Owner(s) and will be charged by the DTC Participant(s) to the account(s) of the applicable Beneficial Owner(s) in accordance with the procedures and practices of the DTC participant(s) as in effect at the time. Depositary fees in respect of distributions and the Depositary services fee are payable to the Depositary by Holders as of the applicable ADS Record Date established by the Depositary. In the case of distributions of cash, the amount of the applicable Depositary fees is deducted by the Depositary from the funds being distributed. In the case of distributions other than cash and the Depositary service fee, the Depositary will invoice the applicable Holders as of the ADS Record Date established by the Depositary. For ADSs held through DTC, the Depositary fees for distributions other than cash and the Depositary service fee are charged by the Depositary to the DTC Participants in accordance with the procedures and practices prescribed by DTC from time to time and the DTC Participants in turn charge the amount of such fees to the Beneficial Owners for whom they hold ADSs.
A-13
The Depositary may reimburse the Company for certain expenses incurred by the Company in respect of the ADR program established pursuant to the Deposit Agreement, by making available a portion of the Depositary fees charged in respect of the ADR program or otherwise, upon such terms and conditions as the Company and the Depositary agree from time to time. The Company shall pay to the Depositary such fees and charges and reimburse the Depositary for such out-of-pocket expenses as the Depositary and the Company may agree from time to time. Responsibility for payment of such charges and reimbursements may from time to time be changed by agreement between the Company and the Depositary. Unless otherwise agreed, the Depositary shall present its statement for such expenses and fees or charges to the Company once every three months. The charges and expenses of the Custodian are for the sole account of the Depositary.
The right of the Depositary to receive payment of fees, charges and expenses as provided above shall survive the termination of the Deposit Agreement. As to any Depositary, upon the resignation or removal of such Depositary as described in Section 5.4, such right shall extend for those fees, charges and expenses incurred prior to the effectiveness of such resignation or removal.
(12) Title to ADRs. It is a condition of this ADR, and every successive Holder of this ADR by accepting or holding the same consents and agrees, that title to this ADR (and to each ADS evidenced hereby) shall be transferable upon the same terms as a certificated security under the laws of the State of New York, provided that the ADR has been properly endorsed or is accompanied by proper instruments of transfer. Notwithstanding any notice to the contrary, the Depositary and the Company may deem and treat the Holder of this ADR (that is, the person in whose name this ADR is registered on the books of the Depositary) as the absolute owner thereof for all purposes. Neither the Depositary nor the Company shall have any obligation nor be subject to any liability under the ADS Deposit Agreement or this ADR to any holder of this ADR or any Beneficial Owner unless such holder is the Holder of this ADR registered on the books of the Depositary or, in the case of a Beneficial Owner, such Beneficial Owner or the Beneficial Owner's representative is the Holder registered on the books of the Depositary.
A-14
UNDER FRENCH LAW AND THE COMPANY'S ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION, THE HOLDER OF THIS ADR MAY HAVE CERTAIN DISCLOSURE OBLIGATIONS, AS SET FORTH IN PARAGRAPH (7) HEREOF. FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH SUCH OBLIGATIONS COULD AFFECT SUCH HOLDER'S VOTING RIGHTS.
A-15
Dated:
CITIBANK, N.A., | CITIBANK, N.A., |
Transfer Agent and Registrar | as Depositary |
By: ___________________________
Authorized Signatory
|
By: ___________________________
Authorized Signatory
|
The address of the Corporate Agency Office of the Depositary is 000 Xxxxxxxxx Xxxxxx, 00xx xxxxx, Xxx Xxxx, XX 00000. The Depositary's Corporate Agency Office is different from its Principal Executive Office. Its Principal Executive Office is at 000 Xxxx Xxxxxx, Xxx Xxxx, XX 00000.
A-16
[FORM OF REVERSE OF ADR]
SUMMARY OF CERTAIN ADDITIONAL PROVISIONS
OF THE ADS DEPOSIT AGREEMENT
If any distribution upon any Deposited Securities consists of a dividend in, or free distribution of, Shares, the Company shall cause such Shares to be deposited with the Custodian and registered, as the case may be, in the name of the Depositary, the Custodian or their respective nominees. Upon receipt of confirmation of such deposit from the Custodian, the Depositary shall, subject to and in accordance with the ADS Deposit Agreement, establish the ADS Record Date upon the terms described in Section 4.9 of the ADS Deposit Agreement and either (i) the Depositary shall, subject to Section 5.9 of the ADS Deposit Agreement, distribute to the Holders as of the ADS Record Date in proportion to the number of ADSs held as of the ADS Record Date, additional ADSs, which represent in aggregate the number of Shares received as such dividend, or free distribution, subject to the other terms of the ADS Deposit Agreement (including, without limitation, (a) the applicable fees and charges of, and expenses incurred by, the Depositary and (b) taxes), or (ii) if additional ADSs are not so distributed, each ADS issued and outstanding after the ADS Record Date shall, to the extent permissible by law, thenceforth also represent rights and interest in the additional integral number of Shares distributed upon the Deposited Securities represented thereby (net of (a) the applicable fees and charges of, and expenses incurred by, the Depositary, and (b) taxes). In lieu of delivering fractional ADSs, the Depositary shall sell the number of Shares or ADSs, as the case may be, represented by the aggregate of such fractions and distribute the net proceeds upon the terms set forth in the ADS Deposit Agreement.
A-17
In the event that the Depositary determines that any distribution in property (including Shares) is subject to any tax or other governmental charges which the Depositary is obligated to withhold, or, if the Company in the fulfillment of its obligations under Section 5.7 of the ADS Deposit Agreement, has furnished an opinion of U.S. counsel determining that Shares must be registered under the Securities Act or other laws in order to be distributed to Holders (and no such registration statement has been declared effective), the Depositary may dispose of all or a portion of such property (including Shares and rights to subscribe therefor) in such amounts and in such manner, including by public or private sale, as the Depositary deems necessary and practicable, and the Depositary shall distribute the net proceeds of any such sale (after deduction of (a) taxes and (b) fees and charges of, and the expenses incurred by, the Depositary) to Holders entitled thereto upon the terms described in Section 4.1 of the ADS Deposit Agreement. The Depositary shall hold and/or distribute any unsold balance of such property in accordance with the provisions of the ADS Deposit Agreement.
Upon timely receipt of a notice indicating that the Company wishes an elective distribution to be made available to Holders of ADSs upon the terms described in the ADS Deposit Agreement, the Company and the Depositary shall determine whether such distribution is lawful and reasonably practicable. If so, the Depositary shall, subject to the terms and conditions of the ADS Deposit Agreement, establish an ADS Record Date according to paragraph (17) and establish procedures to enable the Holder hereof to elect to receive the proposed distribution in cash or in additional ADSs. If a Holder elects to receive the distribution in cash, the distribution shall be made as in the case of a distribution in cash. If the Holder hereof elects to receive the distribution in additional ADSs, the distribution shall be made as in the case of a distribution in Shares upon the terms described in the ADS Deposit Agreement. If such elective distribution is not reasonably practicable or if the Depositary did not receive satisfactory documentation set forth in the ADS Deposit Agreement, the Depositary shall, to the extent permitted by law, distribute to Holders, on the basis of the same determination as is made in The Republic of France in respect of the Shares for which no election is made, either (x) cash or (y) additional ADSs representing such additional Shares, in each case, upon the terms described in the ADS Deposit Agreement. Nothing herein or in the ADS Deposit Agreement shall obligate the Depositary to make available to the Holder hereof a method to receive the elective distribution in Shares (rather than ADSs) . There can be no assurance that the Holder hereof will be given the opportunity to receive elective distributions on the same terms and conditions as the holders of Shares.
A-18
Upon timely receipt by the Depositary of a notice indicating that the Company wishes rights to subscribe for additional Shares to be made available to Holders of ADSs, the Depositary upon consultation with the Company, shall determine, whether it is lawful and reasonably practicable to make such rights available to the Holders. The Depositary shall make such rights available to any Holders only if (i) the Company shall have timely requested that such rights be made available to Holders, (ii) the Depositary shall have received the documentation contemplated in the ADS Deposit Agreement, and (iii) the Depositary shall have determined that such distribution of rights is reasonably practicable. If such conditions are not satisfied, the Depositary shall sell the rights as described below. In the event all conditions set forth above are satisfied, the Depositary shall establish an ADS Record Date (upon the terms described in the ADS Deposit Agreement) and establish procedures (x) to distribute rights to purchase additional ADSs (by means of warrants or otherwise), (y) to enable the Holders to exercise the rights (upon payment of the subscription price and of the applicable (a) fees and charges of, and expenses incurred by, the Depositary and (b) taxes), and (z) to deliver ADSs upon the valid exercise of such rights. Nothing herein or in the ADS Deposit Agreement shall obligate the Depositary to make available to the Holders a method to exercise rights to subscribe for Shares (rather than ADSs) . If (i) the Company does not timely request the Depositary to make the rights available to Holders or if the Company requests that the rights not be made available to Holders, (ii) the Depositary fails to receive the satisfactory documentation required by the ADS Deposit Agreement or determines it is not reasonably practicable to make the rights available to Holders, or (iii) any rights made available are not exercised and appear to be about to lapse, the Depositary shall determine whether it is lawful and reasonably practicable to sell such rights, in a riskless principal capacity, at such place and upon such terms (including public and private sale) as it may deem practicable. The Depositary shall, upon such sale, convert and distribute proceeds of such sale (net of applicable (a) fees and charges of, and expenses incurred by, the Depositary and (b) taxes) upon the terms hereof and of the ADS Deposit Agreement. If the Depositary is unable to make any rights available to Holders or to arrange for the sale of the rights upon the terms described above, the Depositary shall allow such rights to lapse. The Depositary shall not be responsible for (i) any failure to determine that it may be lawful or practicable to make such rights available to Holders in general or any Holders in particular, (ii) any foreign exchange exposure or loss incurred in connection with such sale or exercise, or (iii) the content of any materials forwarded to the ADR Holders on behalf of the Company in connection with the rights distribution.
Notwithstanding anything herein or in the ADS Deposit Agreement to the contrary, if registration (under the Securities Act or any other applicable law) of the rights or the securities to which any rights relate may be required in order for the Company to offer such rights or such securities to Holders and to sell the securities represented by such rights, the Depositary will not distribute such rights to the Holders (i) unless and until a registration statement under the Securities Act (or other applicable law) covering such offering is in effect or (ii) unless the Company furnishes the Depositary opinion(s) of counsel for the Company in the United States and counsel to the Company in any other applicable country in which rights would be distributed, in each case satisfactory to the Depositary, to the effect that the offering and sale of such securities to Holders and Beneficial Owners are exempt from, or do not require registration under, the provisions of the Securities Act or any other applicable laws. In the event that the Company, the Depositary or the Custodian shall be required to withhold and does withhold from any distribution of property (including rights) an amount on account of taxes or other governmental charges, the amount distributed to the Holders of ADSs representing such Deposited Securities shall be reduced accordingly. In the event that the Depositary determines that any distribution in property (including Shares and rights to subscribe therefor) is subject to any tax or other governmental charges which the Depositary is obligated to withhold, the Depositary may dispose of all or a portion of such property (including Shares and rights to subscribe therefor) in such amounts and in such manner, including by public or private sale, as the Depositary deems necessary and practicable to pay any such taxes or charges.
A-19
There can be no assurance that Holders generally, or any Holder in particular, will be given the opportunity be able to receive or exercise rights on the same terms and conditions as the holders of Shares or be able to exercise such rights. Nothing herein or in the ADS Deposit Agreement shall obligate the Company to file any registration statement in respect of any rights or Shares or other securities to be acquired upon the exercise of such rights.
Upon receipt of a notice indicating that the Company wishes property other than cash, Shares or rights to purchase additional Shares, to be made to Holders of ADSs, the Depositary shall determine whether such distribution to Holders is lawful and reasonably practicable. The Depositary shall not make such distribution unless (i) the Company shall have requested the Depositary to make such distribution to Holders, (ii) the Depositary shall have received the documentation contemplated in the ADS Deposit Agreement, and (iii) the Depositary shall have determined that such distribution is reasonably practicable. Upon satisfaction of such conditions, the Depositary shall distribute the property so received to the Holders of record, as of the ADS Record Date (established upon the terms described in Section 4.9 of the ADS Deposit Agreement), in proportion to the number of ADSs held by them respectively and in such manner as the Depositary may deem practicable for accomplishing such distribution (i) upon receipt of payment or net of the applicable fees and charges of, and expenses incurred by, the Depositary, and (ii) net of any taxes withheld. The Depositary may dispose of all or a portion of the property so distributed and deposited, in such amounts and in such manner (including public or private sale) as the Depositary may deem practicable or necessary to satisfy any taxes (including applicable interest and penalties) or other governmental charges applicable to the distribution.
If the conditions above are not satisfied, the Depositary shall sell or cause such property to be sold in a public or private sale, at such place or places and upon such terms as it may deem practicable and shall (i) cause the proceeds of such sale, if any, to be converted into Dollars and (ii) distribute the proceeds of such conversion received by the Depositary (net of applicable (a) fees and charges of, and expenses incurred by, the Depositary and (b) taxes) to the Holders as of the ADS Record Date upon the terms hereof and of the ADS Deposit Agreement. If the Depositary is unable to sell such property, the Depositary may dispose of such property for the account of the Holders in any way it deems reasonably practicable under the circumstances.
A-20
(17) Fixing of ADS Record Date. Whenever the Depositary shall receive notice of the fixing of a record date by the Company for the determination of holders of Deposited Securities entitled to receive any distribution (whether in cash, Shares, rights or other distribution), or whenever for any reason the Depositary causes a change in the number of Shares that are represented by each ADS, or whenever the Depositary shall receive notice of any meeting of, or solicitation of consents or proxies of, holders of Shares or other Deposited Securities, or whenever the Depositary shall find it necessary or convenient in connection with the giving of any notice, solicitation of any consent or any other matter, the Depositary shall fix a record date (“ADS Record Date”) for the determination of the Holders of ADRs who shall be entitled to receive such distribution, to give instructions for the exercise of voting rights at any such meeting, to give or withhold such consent, to receive such notice or solicitation or to otherwise take action, or to exercise the rights of Holders with respect to such changed number of Shares represented by each ADS. Subject to applicable law and the terms and conditions of this ADR and the ADS Deposit Agreement, only the Holders of ADRs at the close of business in New York on such ADS Record Date shall be entitled to receive such distributions, to give such instructions, to receive such notice or solicitation, or otherwise take action.
Notwithstanding anything contained in the Deposit Agreement or any ADR, the Depositary may, to the extent not prohibited by law or regulations, the Articles of Association, or by the requirements of any stock exchange on which the ADSs may be listed, in lieu of distribution of the materials provided to the Depositary in connection with any meeting of, or solicitation of consents or proxies from, holders of Deposited Securities, distribute to the Holders a notice that provides Holders with, or otherwise publicize to Holders, instructions on how to retrieve such materials or receive such materials upon request (i.e., by reference to a website containing the materials for retrieval or a contact for requesting copies of the materials).
A-21
The Company has informed the Depositary that, as of the date of the Deposit Agreement, under French company law and the Company's Articles of Association, (i) the record date for holders of Shares to vote at a shareholders meeting is at least three (3) business days (such date as may be established from time to time, the “Share Record Date”), (ii) in order to exercise voting rights holders of Shares in registered form must have their Shares registered in their own name, or in the name of a registered financial intermediary (intermédiaire inscrit), in a share account maintained by or on behalf of the Company as of the Share Record Date, (iii) in order to exercise voting rights holders of Shares in bearer form are required to have their Shares registered in the name of a registered financial intermediary (intermédiaire inscrit) and obtain from an accredited financial intermediary (intermédiaire habilité), and provide to the Company, an attendance certificate (attestation de participation) attesting to the registration of such Shares in the financial intermediary’s account as of the Share Record Date, and (iv) the voting form must be delivered to the Company at least three (3) days prior to the date of the shareholders’ meeting (voting forms sent by electronic form can be received by the Company up to the day immediately preceding the meeting date at 3:00 pm Paris time).
In accordance with the foregoing, a Holder as of the ADS Record Date who desires to exercise its voting rights with respect to ADSs representing Shares in registered or bearer form is required to: (a) be a Holder of the ADSs as of the Share Record Date, (b) deliver voting instructions to the Depositary, in a form acceptable to the Company and the Depositary, by the date established by the Depositary for such purpose (the “Receipt Date”), (c) instruct the Depositary to request that the Custodian deliver a voting form (formulaire de vote à distance) to the Company prior to the deadline established by the Company, and (d) in the case of ADSs representing Shares in bearer form, instruct the Depositary to request that the Custodian deposit the requisite attendance certificate (attestation de participation) with the Company. The delivery of voting instructions shall be deemed instructions to request delivery of the voting form and the attendance certificate.
Upon receipt by the Depositary of (i) the voting instructions, in a form acceptable to the Company and the Depositary, on or before the Receipt Date, and (ii) evidence satisfactory to the Depositary that the applicable conditions of the preceding paragraph have been satisfied, the Depositary shall endeavor, insofar as practicable and permitted under any applicable provisions of French law and the Company's Articles of Association, to cause to be voted the Shares represented by such ADSs in accordance with any non-discretionary instructions set forth in such voting instructions. The Depositary will only cause to be voted Shares represented by ADSs in respect of which valid voting instructions have been received and only in accordance with such voting instructions. If the Depositary receives from a Holder (who has otherwise satisfied all conditions to voting contemplated herein) voting instructions which fail to specify the manner in which the Depositary is to vote the Deposited Securities represented by such Holder's ADSs, the Depositary will deem such Holder (unless otherwise specified in the notice distributed to Holders) to have instructed the Depositary to vote in favor of all resolutions endorsed by the Company’s board of directors.
A-22
The Depositary will not knowingly take any action to impair its ability to carry out the voting instructions of Beneficial Owners of ADSs delivered to it by DTC, any DTC Participants or any of their agents. In the case of voting instructions received in respect of any Beneficial Owner of ADSs as of the ADS Record Date who is not the Holder of the ADSs on the books of the Depositary, the Depositary will not cause to be voted the number of Shares represented by such ADSs unless the Depositary has received evidence (reasonably satisfactory to it and to the Company) that such number of ADSs continue to be held by such Beneficial Owner as of the Share Record Date. Except as provided above, the Depositary will not cause to be voted Shares represented by ADSs in respect of which the voting instructions are improperly completed or in respect of which (and to the extent) the voting instructions are illegible or unclear. The Depositary will not charge any fees in connection with the foregoing transactions to enable any Holder to exercise its voting rights under the Deposit Agreement.
Voting instructions may be given only in respect of a number of ADSs representing an integral number of Deposited Securities. Neither the Depositary nor the Custodian shall under any circumstances exercise any discretion as to voting and neither the Depositary nor the Custodian shall vote, attempt to exercise the right to vote, or in any way make use of the Deposited Securities represented by ADSs, except pursuant to and in accordance with the voting instructions timely received from Holders or as otherwise contemplated herein. Except as provided above, Deposited Securities represented by ADSs for which no timely voting instructions are received by the Depositary from the Holder shall not be voted.
Subject to applicable laws or rules of any securities exchange on which the Deposited Securities are listed or traded, at least three (3) business days prior to the date of a meeting, the Company shall receive from the Depositary, unless the Company has agreed to a later date, a tabulation of the voting instructions received from Holders of ADSs, if any, and the Depositary shall vote, or cause to be voted, the Deposited Securities represented by such Holders' ADSs in accordance with such instructions.
Notwithstanding anything else contained in the Deposit Agreement or any ADR to the contrary, and to the extent not prohibited by law or regulation, the Depositary and the Company may, by agreement between them, with notice to the Holders, modify, amend or adopt additional voting procedures from time to time as they determine may be necessary or appropriate (subject, in each case, to the terms of Sections 6.1 and 7.8 of the Deposit Agreement).
The Company has informed the Depositary that, under French company law in effect as of the date of the Deposit Agreement, shareholders holding a certain percentage of the Company’s Shares, the workers’ council or the board of directors may submit a new resolution and the board of directors may also modify the resolutions proposed in the preliminary notice of meeting (avis de réunion), which notice must be published at least 35 days prior to the meeting date. In such case, Holders who have given prior instructions to vote on such resolutions shall be deemed to have voted in favor of the new or modified resolutions if approved by the Board and against if not approved by the Company’s board of directors.
The Company has informed the Depositary that the Company may require voting instructions to be delivered in writing. In such circumstances, Holders of ADSs may be required to deliver signed voting instruction cards to the Depositary.
A-23
Notwithstanding anything else contained in the Deposit Agreement or any ADR, the Depositary shall not have any obligation to take any action with respect to any meeting, or solicitation of consents or proxies, of holders of Deposited Securities if the taking of such action would violate U.S. or French laws. The Company agrees to take any and all actions reasonably necessary to enable Holders and Beneficial Owners to exercise the voting rights accruing to the Deposited Securities and to deliver to the Depositary an opinion of U.S. counsel addressing any actions requested to be taken if so reasonably requested by the Depositary.
There can be no assurance that Holders generally or any Holder in particular will receive the notice described above with sufficient time to enable the Holder to return voting instructions to the Depositary in a timely manner or at all.
A-24
A-25
(22) Resignation and Removal of the Depositary; Appointment of Successor Depositary. The Depositary may at any time resign as Depositary under the ADS Deposit Agreement by written notice of resignation delivered to the Company, such resignation to be effective on the earlier of (i) the 90th day after delivery thereof to the Company, or (ii) upon the appointment of a successor depositary and its acceptance of such appointment as provided in the ADS Deposit Agreement. The Depositary may at any time be removed by the Company by written notice of such removal, which removal shall be effective on the later of (i) the 90th day after delivery thereof to the Depositary (whereupon the Depositary shall be entitled to take the actions contemplated in Section 6.2 of the ADS Deposit Agreement), or (ii) upon the appointment by the Company of a successor depositary and its acceptance of such appointment as provided in the ADS Deposit Agreement. In case at any time the Depositary acting hereunder shall resign or be removed, the Company shall use its best efforts to appoint a successor depositary, which shall be a bank or trust company having an office in the Borough of Manhattan, the City of New York. Every successor depositary shall be required by the Company to execute and deliver to its predecessor and to the Company an instrument in writing accepting its appointment hereunder, and thereupon such successor depositary, without any further act or deed (except as required by applicable law), shall become fully vested with all the rights, powers, duties and obligations of its predecessor (other than as contemplated in the ADS Deposit Agreement). The predecessor depositary, upon payment of all sums due it and on the written request of the Company, shall (i) execute and deliver an instrument transferring to such successor all rights and powers of such predecessor hereunder (other than as contemplated in the ADS Deposit Agreement), (ii) duly assign, transfer and deliver all right, title and interest to the Deposited Securities to such successor, and (iii) deliver to such successor a list of the Holders of all outstanding ADRs and such other information relating to ADRs and Holders thereof as the successor may reasonably request. Any such successor depositary shall promptly provide notice of its appointment to such Holders. Any corporation into or with which the Depositary may be merged or consolidated shall be the successor of the Depositary without the execution or filing of any document or any further act.
A-26
A-27
A-28
(ASSIGNMENT AND TRANSFER SIGNATURE LINES)
FOR VALUE RECEIVED, the undersigned Holder hereby sell(s), assign(s) and transfer(s) unto whose taxpayer identification number is and whose address including postal zip code is , the within Receipt and all rights thereunder, hereby irrevocably constituting and appointing attorney-in-fact to transfer said Receipt on the books of the Depositary with full power of substitution in the premises.
Dated: |
Name: _______________________________
By:
Title:
NOTICE: The signature of the Holder to this assignment must correspond with the name as written upon the face of the within instrument in every particular, without alteration or enlargement or any change whatsoever.
If the endorsement be executed by an attorney, executor, administrator, trustee or guardian, the person executing the endorsement must give his/her full title in such capacity and proper evidence of authority to act in such capacity, if not on file with the Depositary, must be forwarded with this ADR.
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SIGNATURE GUARANTEED
_______________________________
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All endorsements or assignments of Receipts must be guaranteed by a member of a Medallion Signature Program approved by the Securities Transfer Association, Inc.
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A-29
EXHIBIT B
FEE SCHEDULE
DEPOSITARY FEES AND RELATED CHARGES
All capitalized terms used but not otherwise defined herein shall have the meaning given to such terms in the Deposit Agreement.
The Company, the Holders, the Beneficial Owners and the persons depositing Shares or surrendering ADSs for cancellation agree to pay the following fees of the Depositary:
Service
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Rate
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By Whom Paid
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(1) |
Issuance of ADSs upon deposit of Shares (excluding issuances as a result of distributions described in paragraph (4) below).
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Up to U.S. $5.00 per 100 ADSs (or fraction thereof) issued.
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Person depositing Shares or person receiving ADSs.
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(2) |
Delivery of Deposited Securities against surrender of ADSs.
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Up to U.S. $5.00 per 100 ADSs (or fraction thereof) surrendered.
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Person surrendering ADSs for the purpose of withdrawal of Deposited Securities or person to whom Deposited Securities are delivered.
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(3) |
Distribution of cash dividends or other cash distributions (i.e., sale of rights and other entitlements).
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Up to U.S. $5.00 per 100 ADSs (or fraction thereof) held.
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Person to whom distribution is made.
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(4) |
Distribution of ADSs pursuant to (i) stock dividends or other free stock distributions, or (ii) exercise of rights to purchase additional ADSs.
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Up to U.S. $5.00 per 100 ADSs (or fraction thereof) held.
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Person to whom distribution is made.
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(5) |
Distribution of securities other than ADSs or rights to purchase additional ADSs (i.e., spin-off shares).
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Up to U.S. $5.00 per 100 ADSs (or fraction thereof) held.
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Person to whom distribution is made.
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(6) |
Up to U.S. $5.00 per 100 ADSs (or fraction thereof) held on the applicable record date(s) established by the Depositary.
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Person holding ADSs on the applicable record date(s) established by the Depositary.
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B-1
Holders, Beneficial Owners, persons depositing Shares and persons surrendering ADSs for cancellation and for the purpose of withdrawing Deposited Securities shall be responsible for the following charges:
(i)
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taxes (including applicable interest and penalties) and other governmental charges;
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(ii)
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such registration fees as may from time to time be in effect for the registration of Shares or other Deposited Securities on the share register and applicable to transfers of Shares or other Deposited Securities to or from the name of the Custodian, the Depositary or any nominees upon the making of deposits and withdrawals, respectively;
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(iii)
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such cable, telex and facsimile transmission and delivery expenses as are expressly provided in the Deposit Agreement to be at the expense of the person depositing or withdrawing Shares or Holders and Beneficial Owners of ADSs;
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(iv)
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the expenses and charges incurred by the Depositary in the conversion of foreign currency;
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(v)
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such fees and expenses as are incurred by the Depositary in connection with compliance with exchange control regulations and other regulatory requirements applicable to Shares, Deposited Securities, ADSs and ADRs; and
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(vi)
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the fees and expenses incurred by the Depositary, the Custodian, or any nominee in connection with the servicing or delivery of Deposited Securities.
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B-2
EXHIBIT C
NOTICE TO HOLDERS
C-1
NOTICE OF AMENDMENT TO AIR FRANCE-KLM
DEPOSIT AGREEMENT
To the Holders of American Depositary Shares (“ADSs”)
representing the Deposited Securities of the Company
Depositary:
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Citibank, N.A.
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Custodian:
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Citibank International plc, Paris branch
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Deposited Securities:
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Ordinary Shares, nominal value €8.50 per share (“Shares”), of Air France-KLM, a company organized and existing under the laws of The Republic of France (the “Company”).
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000000000.
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ADS to Share Ratio:
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One (1) ADS to One (1) Share.
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Deposit Agreement:
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ADS Deposit Agreement, dated as of May 3, 2004, by and among the Company, the Depositary and the Holders and Beneficial Owners of ADSs, as amended by Amendment No. 1 to ADS Deposit Agreement, dated as of February 7, 2008 (together, the “ADS Deposit Agreement”), as to be further amended by Amendment No. 2 to ADS Deposit Agreement (“Amendment No. 2”), a form of which has been filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) under cover of Post-Effective Amendment No. 2 to Registration Statement on Form F-6 (Reg. No. 333-114197).
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Effective Date:
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The later to occur of (i) the expiration of 30 days after the date of this notice, and (ii) the date upon which the SEC declares the Post-Effective Amendment No. 2 to Registration Statement on Form F-6 effective pursuant to which a form of Amendment No. 2 has been filed with the SEC (such date, the “Effective Date”).
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Notice is hereby given that, pursuant to Section 6.1 of the ADS Deposit Agreement, the Company and the Depositary have agreed to amend the ADS Deposit Agreement by means of Amendment No. 2. Capitalized terms used, but not otherwise defined herein, shall have the meaning given to such terms in the ADS Deposit Agreement.
Please be advised that pursuant to the terms of Amendment No. 2, the ADS Deposit Agreement and all American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”) will be amended, inter alia, (a) to reflect the Depositary’s updated schedule of fees and related charges associated with the administration of the Company’s ADS facility, (b) to permit the Depositary to assess such fees and related charges in accordance with the terms, and subject to any conditions, set forth therein and (c) to revise the provisions governing the voting of Deposited Securities by reflecting particular local legal requirements for voting Deposited Securities in France. A copy of the new fee schedule is attached to this Notice and sets forth the total fees that may be charged by the Depositary in respect of the ADSs.
You are hereby advised that until the Effective Date, the additional fees shall not be imposed on any ADS holder. By continuing to hold any outstanding ADSs after the Effective Date, you will be deemed for all purposes to have consented and agreed to such new fees and to be bound by the revised terms of the ADS Deposit Agreement as amended by Amendment No. 2.
From and after the Effective Date, the Depositary shall arrange to have new ADRs printed that reflect the changes effected by Amendment No. 2. However, ADRs issued prior to the Effective Date which do not reflect the changes effected by Amendment No. 2 do not need to be surrendered for exchange and may remain outstanding until such time as the Holders thereof choose to surrender them for any reason under the Deposit Agreement as amended by Amendment No. 2.
Copies of the ADS Deposit Agreement and Amendment No. 2 are available for retrieval from the SEC’s website at xxx.xxx.xxx (Registration No.: 333-114197) and from the principal offices of the Depositary located at 000 Xxxxxxxxx Xxxxxx, 00xx Xxxxx, Xxx Xxxx, XX 00000. If you have any questions regarding the proposed amendment to the ADS Deposit Agreement, please call Citibank, N.A. — ADS Holder Services at 0-000-000-0000.
Citibank, N.A., as Depositary
[DATE], 2013
FEE SCHEDULE
DEPOSITARY FEES AND RELATED CHARGES
All capitalized terms used but not otherwise defined herein shall have the meaning given to such terms in the Deposit Agreement.
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I. Depositary Fees
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The Company, the Holders, the Beneficial Owners and the persons depositing Shares or surrendering ADSs for cancellation agree to pay the following fees of the Depositary:
Service |
Rate
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By Whom Paid
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(1) |
Issuance of ADSs upon deposit of Shares (excluding issuances as a result of distributions described in paragraph (4) below).
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Up to U.S. $5.00 per 100 ADSs (or fraction thereof) issued.
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Person depositing Shares or person receiving ADSs.
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(2) |
Delivery of Deposited Securities against surrender of ADSs.
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Up to U.S. $5.00 per 100 ADSs (or fraction thereof) surrendered.
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Person surrendering ADSs for the purpose of withdrawal of Deposited Securities or person to whom Deposited Securities are delivered.
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(3) |
Distribution of cash dividends or other cash distributions (i.e., sale of rights and other entitlements).
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Up to U.S. $5.00 per 100 ADSs (or fraction thereof) held.
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Person to whom distribution is made.
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(4) |
Distribution of ADSs pursuant to (i) stock dividends or other free stock distributions, or (ii) exercise of rights to purchase additional ADSs.
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Up to U.S. $5.00 per 100 ADSs (or fraction thereof) held.
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Person to whom distribution is made.
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(5) |
Distribution of securities other than ADSs or rights to purchase additional ADSs (i.e., spin-off shares).
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Up to U.S. $5.00 per 100 ADSs (or fraction thereof) held.
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Person to whom distribution is made.
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(6) |
Depositary Services.
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Up to U.S. $5.00 per 100 ADSs (or fraction thereof) held on the applicable record date(s) established by the Depositary
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Person holding ADSs on the applicable record date(s) established by the Depositary.
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II. Charges
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Holders, Beneficial Owners, persons depositing Shares and persons surrendering ADSs for cancellation and for the purpose of withdrawing Deposited Securities shall be responsible for the following charges:
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(i)
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taxes (including applicable interest and penalties) and other governmental charges;
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(ii)
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such registration fees as may from time to time be in effect for the registration of Shares or other Deposited Securities on the share register and applicable to transfers of Shares or other Deposited Securities to or from the name of the Custodian, the Depositary or any nominees upon the making of deposits and withdrawals, respectively;
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(iii)
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such cable, telex and facsimile transmission and delivery expenses as are expressly provided in the Deposit Agreement to be at the expense of the person depositing or withdrawing Shares or Holders and Beneficial Owners of ADSs;
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(iv)
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the expenses and charges incurred by the Depositary in the conversion of foreign currency;
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(v)
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such fees and expenses as are incurred by the Depositary in connection with compliance with exchange control regulations and other regulatory requirements applicable to Shares, Deposited Securities, ADSs and ADRs; and
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(vi)
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the fees and expenses incurred by the Depositary, the Custodian, or any nominee in connection with the servicing or delivery of Deposited Securities.
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