Transparency Of Stock Corporations In Europe

This edited collection explores transparency as a key regulatory strategy in European business law. It examines the rationales, limitations and further perspectives on transparency that have emerged in various areas of European law including corporate law, capital markets law and accounting law, as well as other areas of law relevant for European (listed) stock corporations. This book presents a clear and accurate picture of the recent reforms in the European transparency regime. In doing so it endorses a multi-dimensional notion of transparency, highlighting the need for careful consideration and contextualisation of the transparency phenomenon. In addition, the book considers relevant enforcement mechanisms and discusses the implications of disparate enforcement concepts in European law from both the private and public law perspectives. Written by a team of distinguished contributors, the collection offers a comprehensive analysis of the European transparency regime by discussing the fundamentals of transparency, the role of disclosure in European business law, and related enforcement questions.

This edited collection explores transparency as a key regulatory strategy in European business law. It examines the rationales, limitations and further perspectives on transparency that have emerged in various areas of European law including corporate law, capital markets law and accounting law, as well as other areas of law relevant for European (listed) stock corporations. This book presents a clear and accurate picture of the recent reforms in the European transparency regime. In doing so it endorses a multi-dimensional notion of transparency, highlighting the need for careful consideration and contextualisation of the transparency phenomenon. In addition, the book considers relevant enforcement mechanisms and discusses the implications of disparate enforcement concepts in European law from both the private and public law perspectives. Written by a team of distinguished contributors, the collection offers a comprehensive analysis of the European transparency regime by discussing the fundamentals of transparency, the role of disclosure in European business law, and related enforcement questions.

What is transparency? What does it do? How much of it do we need, and for what purpose? This book includes chapters that address transparency in different markets and at different levels: from corporate financial disclosure to lobbying; from the risk incentives facing banks to competition and environmental policies.

Written by an international team of authors, this book provides the first systematic account of the control of corporate Europe based on voting block data disclosed in accordance with the European Union's Large Holdings Directive (88/627/EEC). The study provides detailed information on the voting control of companies listed on the official markets in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and, as a benchmark comparison, the United States. The authors record a high concentration of control of corporations in many European countries with single blockholders frequently controlling more than fifty per cent of corporate votes. In contrast, a majority of UK listed companies have no blockholder owning more than ten per cent of shares, and a majority of US listed companies have no blockholder with more than six per cent of shares. Those chapters devoted to individual countries illustrate how blockholders can use legal devices to leverage their voting power over their cash-flow rights, or how incumbents prevent outsiders from gaining voting control. It is shown that the cultural and linguistic diversity of Europe is (almost) matched by its variety of corporate control arrangements.

“The richness, clarity and nuances of the structure and methodology followed by the contributors make the book a very valuable tool for students... seeking to obtain a general understanding of the market and how it is regulated.” – Ligia Catherine Arias Barrera, Banking & Finance Law Review The fully updated edition of this user-friendly textbook continues to systematise the European law governing capital markets and examines the underlying concepts from a broadly interdisciplinary perspective. The 3rd edition deals with 3 central developments: the project of the capital markets union; sustainable finance; and the further digitalisation of financial instruments and securities markets. The 1st chapter deals with the foundations of capital markets law in Europe, the 2nd explains the basics, and the 3rd examines the regime on market abuse. Chapter 4 explores the disclosure system and chapter 5 short-selling and high-frequency trading. The role of intermediaries, such as financial analysts, rating agencies, and proxy advisers, is described in chapter 6. Chapter 7 explains compliance and corporate governance in investment firms and chapter 8 illustrates the regulation of benchmarks. Finally, chapter 9 deals with public takeovers. Throughout the book emphasis is placed on legal practice, and frequent reference is made to the key decisions of supervisory authorities and courts. This is essential reading for students involved in the study of capital markets law and financial law.

Anne Lafarre combines wide ranging empirical legal and economic research to analyse and understand the real role of the AGM in the European businesses and corporate governance frameworks today.

European Company Law Series, Volume 19 Compelling new perspectives on corporate governance – including attention to increased shareholder engagement, long-term value creation, and sustainability – have given rise to major changes in the management of companies. Yet, until this book, there has been no systematic account of the legislative and soft law instruments designed to promote good corporate governance practices across the range of sizes and types of companies. The book analyses the various instruments that legislators and others have used to promote good corporate governance in European companies and assesses their value in practice. Nineteen well-known scholars of business and corporate law delve into how such issues and topics as the following are approached across the spectrum of corporate governance instruments available in Europe: corporate codes of conduct; procedural rules regulating how directors make decisions; rules on board composition and remuneration; regulating boards in small- and medium-sized enterprises; public enforcement of directors’ duties; how digitalisation may affect implementation of corporate governance instruments; reporting rules; rules on the empowerment of minority shareholders; the role of the general meeting; regulation of the market for corporate control; certifications; rules on liability of directors; and role of auditors and accountants. In its in-depth analysis of the benefits and potential disadvantages of each instrument and what may be achieved both at company level and generally, this book will prove of value to all concerned with promoting responsible corporate governance, whether in business, government, or academia.

In light of the most severe financial crisis since the 1930s, this intelligent look at European corporate governance brings out the richness of European corporate governance systems and highlights historical weaknesses that will require further work for a sustainable corporate governance environment in the future.