The issue of remuneration of Board members has been repeatedly addressed in the context of our articles. And so has the conflict of interests of the latter with the SA for this reason; the related risks for the SA; the relevant interest of the company, the shareholders and, of course, the beneficiaries- and clearly the third parties: investors and banks. We have already noted that transparency issues and the need for shareholders to participate in the approval of remuneration are pursued through the “say on pay” principle (including: Articles 9a and 9b of Directive 2007/36 / EC, as amended by Directive 2017/828 / EU). Based on this principle, the remuneration of the members of the Board of Directors should be defined in such a way that the shareholders are able to express an opinion. Given the above, our national legislator re-approached the specific issue with the law on SAs (: Law 4548/2018). It brought, on the one hand, some changes in the procedure and the conditions for granting remuneration to the members of the Board of Directors on the basis of their organic relationship (: Societe Anonyme: Remuneration of the Members of the BoD). It incorporated, on the other hand, two important tools for the transformation of the above principle into national law: (a) the Remuneration Policy and (b) the Remuneration Report. We will then deal with the latter.
Legislative Framework – The distinction of Remuneration Policy from the Remuneration Report
The issues related to the Remuneration Policy and the Remuneration Report are regulated in the provisions of articles 110-112 of Law 4548/2018. In this way, the provisions of Articles 9a and 9b of the aforementioned Directive 2007/36 / EC-as in force are incorporated into Greek law.
The two, in particular, tools aim at the transparency and the participation of the shareholders in the issue of the formation of the remuneration of the members of the Board of Directors. Mandatory for listed SAs. Optional for the others. The Remuneration Report retains its independence from the Remuneration Policy, however, it is inextricably linked to the latter. In any case, these are distinct texts, which present two main differences:
(a) The Remuneration Policy is the means of structuring the strategy of the SA regarding the granting of remuneration to the members of the Board of Directors. It promotes, in this context, its sustainability and long-term interests. In this way, it addresses the future. On the other hand, the Remuneration Report is a comprehensive overview of the total remuneration granted per board member for the previous financial year. It concerns, that is, the previous year and is of an accounting character.
(b) Regarding the Remuneration Policy, the shareholders’ vote is binding. On the other hand, their vote on the Remuneration Report has an advisory character.
Subjective and objective scope
The Remuneration Report is drafted collectively by the Board of Directors of the SA (: article 96 §2 law 4548/2018). The responsibility they bear in case of any violation of the provisions regarding the Remuneration Report is also collective (: article 112 §6 b). Therefore, the members of the Board are responsible in cases of violation based on the provision of article 102 of law 4548/2018. They also bear criminal responsibility, based on the provision of article 179 §3 law 4548/2018.
The Remuneration Report must include the complete overview of the remuneration of the members of the Board of Directors, which were foreseen to be paid by the Remuneration Policy of the previous financial year (: article 112 §1 law 4548/2018). This is a fact, regardless of whether the latter (: members of the Board of Directors) are newer, older, executive, non-executive or independent. The recording must be made, in each case, in a clear and comprehensible manner. However, its subjective field may occupy other persons as well. When, for example, by statutory regulation, the application of the provisions for the Remuneration Policy and Report is extended to the executives, as they are regulated by the International Accounting Standards (article 24 §9). The latter, in this case, will refer to the payments of the specific persons as well.
The concept of remuneration, in the context of the Remuneration Report, is conceptually identical to that of the Remuneration Policy. In other words: the Remuneration Report includes the total remuneration granted (or still owed) to the members of the Board of Directors in their organic capacity and position. The Remuneration Report is not interested in other fees. Such as, for example, those that are due, in a special relationship deriving from an employment, mandate, independent services or works contract [int .: Societe Anonyme: Contracts with Members of the BoD for the Provision of (Additional) Services].
Content
The minimum content of the Remuneration Report is provided in the provision of article 112 §2, law 4548/2018. At the same time, the European Commission has adopted a targeted consultation with guidelines for the standard presentation of the information contained in the earnings report. The final guidelines are still pending.
The content of the Remuneration Report concerns the remuneration of each member of the Board separately. It basically includes: (a) the total remuneration paid as well as the way the manner it was paid was in accordance with the approved Remuneration Policy; (b) the annual change in remuneration, the performance of the company and the average remuneration of employees, excluding executives, during the last five years. The Remuneration Report also mentions: (c) any remuneration of any kind coming from any company belonging to the same group; (d) participation in equity schemes; (e) the options exercised; (f) information on the possibility of reclaiming remuneration; (g) the circumstances under which derogations from the remuneration report may have taken place, in accordance with the provisions of Article 110 §6 (inadvertently in Article 112 §2 f.g. reference is made to the repealed §7).
The advisory vote of the shareholders
The shareholders vote (in the context of the ordinary General Assembly with the relevant item on the agenda) on the remuneration report of the last financial year. Their vote, however, is advisory. This means that the shareholders’ decision does not bind the SA, although the voting is mandatory. The Board, however, has an additional obligation regarding the outcome of this vote. Specifically, it “… must explain in the next Remuneration Report the way in which the above result of the vote was taken into account…” (art. 112 §3 Law 4548/2018). It is concluded, therefore, that the SA may not take into account the above result at all, as long as it explains the way it worked in the next Remuneration Report that it will submit to the General Assembly.
Publicity Formalities and Personal Data
The Remuneration Report is subject to specific publicity formalities. The SA, however, must also post the Remuneration Report on its website, immediately after the relevant vote of the General Assembly. This posting must be for a period of ten years (article 112 §4 of Law 4548/2018). The period of posting can exceed the ten years, in case it no longer includes personal data of the members of the Board.
We therefore confirm that the provisions of Law 4548/2018 are intertwined (and) in this case, with the requirements of Regulation 679/2016 / EC for the Protection of Personal Data. As already mentioned, the Remuneration Report refers individually to each member of the Board. This means that their personal data are being processed. The legal basis of this processing is the provision of article 112 §5 of law 4548/2018. The purpose of the processing in this provision is defined as the increase of transparency “… regarding the remuneration of the members of the Board of Directors, with the aim of strengthening the accountability of the members and the supervision of the shareholders on these remunerations”. However, the special categories of personal data according to article 9 §1 of the Regulation are explicitly excluded from the above processing and the Remuneration Report. These are the personal data that reveal “… racial or ethnic origin, political views, religious or philosophical beliefs or participation in a trade union, as well as the processing of genetic data, biometric data for the purpose of unambiguous identification of health or data relating to the sexual life of a natural person or sexual orientation “. In case, for example, that the granting of an allowance depends on any illness of the member of the Board of Directors, the Remuneration Report should include only the amount of this allowance. The cause must not be mentioned.
Judicial review and the possibility of reducing salaries
In the case of the Remuneration Report, the provision of article 109 §7 of Law 4548/2018 applies to the possibility of reducing remuneration after the issuance of a court decision. Such a reduction may take place in cases where there was a substantial change in the conditions under which the Remuneration Policy was approved and it was not revised (article 110 §2 law 4548/2018). This is, essentially, a judicial review of the Remuneration Policy. The application to the competent court, in this case, is exercised within an exclusive period of two (2) months from the voting on the Remuneration Report.
The compliance review with the approved Remuneration Policy of the SA is carried out by the Remuneration Report. It would not be possible, after all, to approve remuneration for the members of the Board of Directors (and / or specific executives) without providing a compliance review.
The obligation to prepare a Remuneration Report (for the review of the approved Remuneration Policy) is borne, as we mentioned in the introduction, by companies with shares listed on a regulated market. They both contribute to increasing corporate transparency and strengthening the (necessary) corporate governance. The accountability of the members of the Board of Directors and the supervision of the shareholders on their salaries is strengthened. They therefore promote the interests of the company and its shareholders. They make the companies that adopt them more transparent (and, therefore, attractive for investors).
Therefore, their adoption by all companies is desirable.
Even by the non-listed ones.-
Stavros Koumentakis
Managing Partner
P.S. A brief version of this article has been published in MAKEDONIA Newspaper (April 11, 2021).
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