For and about the shareholders
Shareholding has a long history, dating back to the period 1885-1950 and the construction of the local railways: in addition to the Belgian state, the relevant provinces and municipalities and in some cases private individuals also provided capital for the creation of a line and the associated construction of a depot/workshop and purchase of rolling stock.
Who are De Lijn’s shareholders?
the Flemish Region (81.55%)
213 of the 285 Flemish municipalities (10.92%)
the 5 Flemish provinces (6.76%)
the Brussels-Capital Region (0.63%)
private individuals (0.14%)
De aandelen van De Lijn zijn niet-beursgenoteerd, noch vrij verhandelbaar. Alle aandelen zijn op naam.
De 2.706.052 aandelen vertegenwoordigen samen een kapitaal van 53.951.000 euro.
The history of shareholding
Shareholding has a long history, dating back to the period 1885-1950 and the construction of the local railways: in addition to the Belgian state, the relevant provinces and municipalities and in some cases private individuals also provided capital for the creation of a line and the associated construction of a depot/workshop and purchase of rolling stock.
When De Lijn was founded in 1991, the capital of the Intermunicipal Transport Company in Antwerp, the Intermunicipal Transport Company in Ghent and the Flemish part of the National Local Railways Company was merged.
The capital held by the Belgian state was transferred to the Flemish Region.
In 2007, De Lijn’s capital was increased when LijnInvest nv, a De Lijn subsidiary set up to participate in PPP projects, was established.
General meeting of shareholders
All shareholders are sent an annual invitation to attend the ordinary general meeting. This is held at 2 pm on the last Tuesday of May, at a different location each time.
The legal entities (Flemish Region, municipalities and provinces) are each represented by specially appointed proxy, who could be a mayor, an alderman, a municipal councillor, an official or anyone who is authorised to act as proxy by the shareholder.
Each shareholder is personally invited in the manner that he or she has chosen: by email, by ordinary letter or by registered letter.
The invitation includes:
the agenda of the meeting
a proxy/identification form
an annual report
any additional documents depending on the agenda.
The invitation is sent out three weeks prior to the meeting.
In exceptional cases, a special general meeting may be convened in addition to the ordinary annual meeting.
Powers of the general meeting of shareholders
The powers and functioning of the general meeting are governed by Articles 13 and 14 of De Lijn’s founding decree and by Articles 2 to 7 of De Lijn’s articles of association.
The main powers of the general meeting are:
to approve the report of the board of directors and the statutory auditors committee
to approve the annual financial statements
to grant discharge to the board of directors and the statutory auditors committee.
Every three years, the general meeting also decides on the appointment of statutory auditors (committee).
By contrast with the normal powers of a general meeting, the members of the board of directors are appointed (and if necessary dismissed) by the Flemish Government, not by the general meeting of shareholders.
Allowances and travel expenses
Participation in the general meeting is unremunerated, and any travel expenses are borne by the shareholder.
Financial information about your shareholding
Public authorities/shareholders with questions about their shareholding (number of shares, initial value, amount to be paid up, etc.) can contact the Treasury Department (Thesaurie@delijn.be).
For general enquiries about the general meeting, contact: algemeen.secretariaat@delijn.be