AGM Calling & Proposals
Telefonica SA
14 March 2008
Telefonica, S.A., as provided in article 82 of the Spanish Stock Market Act (Ley
del Mercado de Valores), hereby reports the following
SIGNIFICANT EVENT
Further to the notice sent on February 27th, 2008 and because of the official
calling of the Annual General Shareholders' Meeting of the Company to be held on
April 21st and 22nd, 2008, at first and second call respectively, the full text
of the official announcement of the calling of the Annual General Shareholders'
Meeting, together with the proposals to be submitted for approval at the
Meeting, are enclosed to this report.
The aforesaid proposals together with the additional information, are available
to shareholders, for examination, at the Company's registered office.
Additionally, these documents will be accessible on - line via de Company's
website: (www.telefonica.es)
We hereby highlight that the time for the Annual General Shareholders' Meeting
to be held, has been changed to 13.00 p.m.
Madrid, March 14th, 2008
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OFFICIAL CALLING
TELEFONICA, S.A.
Annual General Shareholders' Meeting
By decision of the Board of Directors of TELEFONICA, S.A.,
the shareholders are hereby called to the Annual General Shareholders'
Meeting, to be held in Madrid, at the premises of Casa de Campo,
Pabellon de Cristal, Avenida de Portugal, s/n, at 13 p.m. on April 22nd
2008 on second call, if the legally required quorum is not reached and
therefore the Meeting cannot be held on first call on April 21st 2008 at
the same place and time, according to the following
AGENDA
I. Examination and approval, if appropriate, of the Individual Annual
Accounts, of the Consolidated Financial Statements (Consolidated Annual
Accounts) and of the Management Report of Telefonica, S.A. and its
Consolidated Group of Companies, as well as of the proposed allocation
of profits/losses of Telefonica, S.A. and of the management of its Board
of Directors, all with respect to the Fiscal Year 2007.
II. Re-election, ratification, and appointment, if appropriate, of
Directors:
II.1 Re-election of Mr. Jose Fernando de Almansa Moreno-Barreda.
II.2 Ratification of the interim appointment of Mr. Jose Maria
Abril Perez.
II.3 Ratification of the interim appointment of Mr. Francisco
Javier de Paz Mancho.
II.4 Ratification of the interim appointment of Ms. Maria Eva
Castillo Sanz.
II.5 Ratification of the interim appointment of Mr. Luiz
Fernando Furlan.
III. Authorization to acquire the Company's own shares, either directly
or through Group Companies.
IV. Reduction of the share capital through the cancellation of shares of
treasury stock, excluding creditors' right to object, and amendment of
the article of the By-Laws relating to the share capital.
V. Appointment of the Auditors of the Company for the Fiscal Year 2008.
VI. Delegation of powers to formalize, interpret, cure and carry out the
resolutions adopted by the shareholders at the General Shareholders'
Meeting.
After the presentation of the items included in the Agenda, the
General Shareholders' Meeting will be informed about the amendment to
the Board Regulations pursuant to Section 115 of the Securities Market
Act. A Report will be presented explaining the subjects included in the
Management Report pursuant to Section 116.bis, of the Securities Market
Act.
SUPPLEMENT TO THE CALL TO GENERAL SHAREHOLDERS' MEETING
Pursuant to the provisions of Section 97.3 of the Companies
Act, shareholders representing at least five percent of the share
capital may request the publication of a supplement of this call to the
General Shareholders' Meeting, including one or more items in the
Agenda. This right must be exercised by means of verifiable notice
(which will include the corresponding documents evidencing shareholder
status) that must be received at the Company's registered office (Gran
Via, numero 28, planta 12(a), Madrid, codigo postal 28013, to the
attention of the General Secretary and Secretary of the Board of
Directors) within five days of the publication of this call to Meeting.
PARTICIPATION OF A PUBLIC NOTARY IN THE ANNUAL GENERAL SHAREHOLDERS' MEETING
The Board of Directors has resolved to request the presence
of a Public Notary to draw up the minutes of the Meeting, pursuant to
Section 114 of the Companies Act in connection with Sections 101 and 103
of the Regulations of the Commercial Registry.
RIGHT TO RECEIVE INFORMATION
In connection with Items I and IV on the Agenda, and
pursuant to the legal terms, it is stated for the record that
shareholders have the right to examine and obtain at the Company's
registered office, or to request the Company to send them, immediately
and free of charge, a copy of the following documents:
• Individual Annual Accounts, Consolidated Financial Statements
(Consolidated Annual Accounts) and Management Report of
Telefonica, S.A. and its Consolidated Group of Companies, the
corresponding audit reports and the proposed allocation of
profits/ losses of Telefonica, S.A.
• Proposed reduction in share capital as set forth in Item IV on
the Agenda, together with the mandatory Directors' Report.
Furthermore, the following documents are made
available to the shareholders at the Company's registered office:
• The text of the proposed resolutions relating to all other
items on the Agenda.
• Brief description of the professional profile for each of the
Directors included in the proposed resolution under Item II on
the Agenda.
• Full text of the Regulations of the Board of Directors.
• Report referred to Section 116. bis of the Securities Market
Act.
• Report on the Director's Remuneration Policy for the Fiscal
Year 2007.
• Annual Report on Corporate Governance for the Fiscal Year
2007.
All of the documents set forth above will be available
electronically on the Company's website (www.telefonica.es).
Pursuant to Section 112.1 of the Companies Act, the
shareholders may, until the seventh day prior to the date on which
the General Shareholders' Meeting is scheduled to be held by
completing the form posted on the Company's website for such
purpose, or by postal correspondence sent to the Company's
registered office (Gran Via, numero 28, planta 11(a), Madrid, codigo
postal 28013, to the attention of the Oficina del Accionista
(Shareholder Office)), request such information or clarifications as
they deem necessary, or ask such questions as they deem appropriate,
regarding the matters included on the Agenda or about the
information available to the public that has been provided by
Telefonica, S.A. to the National Securities Market Commission since
May 10, 2007, i.e., the date on which the last General Shareholders'
Meeting was held.
RIGHT TO ATTEND THE MEETING IN PERSON OR BY PROXY
The right to attend the General Shareholders' Meeting hereby
called applies to shareholders that hold at least 300 shares registered
in their name in the corresponding book-entry registry five days in
advance of the date on which the Meeting is to be held and who provide
evidence thereof by means of the appropriate attendance card or by
producing a certificate issued by any of the depositaries participating
in the Sociedad de Gestion de los Sistemas de Registro, Compensacion y
Liquidacion de Valores (Securities Registration, Clearing and
Liquidation Systems Management Company) (IBERCLEAR) or by any other
means allowed under applicable Law.
Any shareholder having the right to attend the General
Shareholders' Meeting may be represented thereat by another person, who
need not be a shareholder. A proxy may be granted by using the
proxy-granting form printed on the attendance card or by any other means
allowed by Law. The documents containing proxies for the General
Shareholders' Meeting must set forth the instructions regarding the
manner of voting, provided that, where no express instructions are
given, the representative will vote in favor of the proposed resolutions
submitted by the Board of Directors regarding the matters on the Agenda,
and will vote against of those resolutions that are not included in the
Agenda that might be put to the vote at the Meeting.
If the proxy-granting form does not set forth a specific
person to whom the shareholder grants the proxy, such proxy will be
deemed granted in favor of the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the
Company or of such other person as may replace him as Chairman of the
General Shareholders' Meeting. In the event that, in accordance with the
foregoing, the representative is involved in a conflict of interest upon
voting on any of the proposals, whether or not included in the Agenda,
which are put to the vote at the General Shareholders' Meeting, the
proxy will be deemed granted to the Secretary of the General
Shareholders' Meeting in his capacity as a shareholder having the right
to attend.
Shareholders who do not hold the minimum number of shares
required to attend may grant a written proxy in respect thereof in favor
of another shareholder having the right to attend, or come together with
other shareholders that are in the same situation such that they reach
the required number of shares and grant a written proxy to one of such
shareholders.
DATA PROTECTION
The personal data that shareholders send to the Company in
order to attend, grant proxy or vote at the Shareholders' Meeting, or
the data provided by the entities where those shareholders have
deposited their shares, via de legal entity that registers the book
entries, Iberclear, shall be used only by Telefonica, S.A. to draw up,
complete and monitor the existing shareholder list. Likewise, those data
shall be included into a computer file owned by Telefonica, S.A. whose
purpose is sending to shareholders any information related to their
investment and any other advantage in the sectors of telecommunications,
IT, tourism, culture, insurance, financial and home assistance that may
derive from their status of shareholders. Each shareholder will have a
period of 30 days within the General Shareholders' Meeting holding date
to oppose to the data processing (by calling toll free at 900 111 004).
The shareholder's approval will be deemed granted for this purpose once
this period is over. The right of access, rectification, cancellation
and opposition to the data processing may be exercised by postal
correspondence by attaching a copy of the Identity Card addressed to the
attention of the Telefonica, S.A. Shareholder Office located in Distrito
C, Ronda de la Comunicacion, Edificio Oeste 2, Planta baja 28050 Madrid.
HOLDING OF THE MEETING ON SECOND CALL
Shareholders are advised that, based on experience from previous years, the General
Shareholders' Meeting is expected to be held on second call, at 13 p.m. on April 22nd
2008, at the place indicated above.
ENTRANCE AT THE RECINTO FERIAL DE LA CASA DE CAMPO-PABELL ON DE CRISTAL
Entrance at the Paseo de Extremadura: Puerta del Angel or Main Entrance
Metro Station 'Lago', lines 6 and 10
FOR ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, SHAREHOLDERS MAY CONTACT TELEFONICA'S
SHAREHOLDER OFFICE BY CALLING TOLL-FREE AT 900 111 004, FROM 9:00 A.M.
TO 7:00 P.M., MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY.
Madrid, 14th March 2008
General Secretary and Secretary of the Board
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FULL TEXT OF THE PROPOSALS
ANNUAL GENERAL SHAREHOLDERS' MEETING
OF 'TELEFONICA, S.A.' - YEAR 2008 -
PROPOSED RESOLUTIONS SUBMITTED BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS TO THE GENERAL
SHAREHOLDERS' MEETING
21 / 22 April 2008
Proposal regarding Item I on the Agenda: Examination and approval, if
appropriate, of the Individual Annual Accounts, of the Consolidated Financial
Statements (Consolidated Annual Accounts) and of the Management Report of
Telefonica, S.A. and its Consolidated Group of Companies, as well as of the
proposed allocation of profits/losses of Telefonica, S.A. and of the management
of its Board of Directors, all with respect to Fiscal Year 2007.
A. To approve the Individual Annual Accounts (Balance Sheet, Profit and
Loss Statement and Notes), the Consolidated Financial Statements
-Consolidated Annual Accounts- (Balance Sheet, Income Statement,
Cash Flow Statement, Statement of Recognized Income and Expense, and
Notes), and the Management Reports of Telefonica, S.A. and its
Consolidated Group of Companies for the Fiscal Year 2007 (ended
December 31 of such year), as drawn up by the Board of Directors of
the Company at its meeting on February 27, 2008, as well the
management performed by the Board of Directors of Telefonica, S.A.
during such Fiscal Year.
In the Individual Annual Accounts, the Balance Sheet as of December
31, 2007 reflects assets and liabilities in the amount of 83.159
million Euros each, and the Profit and Loss Account as of the end of
the fiscal year reflects positive results of 6.620 million Euros.
In the Consolidated Financial Statements (Consolidated Annual
Accounts), the Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2007 reflect
assets, and equity and liabilities in the amount of 105.956 million
Euros each, and the Income Statement as of the close of the Fiscal
Year reflects positive results of 8.908 million Euros.
B. To approve the following Distribution of Telefonica, S.A's Profit
from Financial Year 2007:
To use the profit obtained by Telefonica, S.A. in Financial
Year 2007, adding up to €6,619,861,136.05 as follows:
• €1,651,746,290.95 to pay an interim dividend (fixed
sum of €0.35 gross per share for the total of
4,773,496,485 shares comprising the Company's share
capital, with the right to receive it. The said dividend
was fully paid out on November 14th 2007).
• A maximum of €1,909,398,594.00 to pay a final dividend
(maximum amount to be distributed equal to €0.40 gross
per share for the total of 4,773,496,485 shares
comprising the Company's share capital).
• The remaining profit (a minimum of €3,058,716,251.10)
to the Voluntary Reserve.
The payment of the final dividend shall be made on May 13th, 2008
through the Entities participating in 'Sociedad de Gestion de los
Sistemas de Registro, Compensacion y Liquidacion de Valores, S.A.'
(IBERCLEAR), the Spanish securities registrar, clearing and
Settlement Company.
The gross amounts paid shall be subject, where appropriate, to the
withholdings required by the applicable legislation from time to
time.
Telefonica has submitted to the UK Listing Authority a copy of the
following documents:
• Account Auditor's Report, Annual Accounts and Management Report of
'Telefonica, S.A.', all for the 2007 financial year.
• Account Auditor's Report, Annual Accounts and Management Report of
the Consolidated Group of Companies, all for the 2007 financial
year.
These documents will shortly be available for inspection at the UK
Listing Authority's Document Viewing Facility, which is situated at:
Financial Services Authority
25 The North Colonnade
Canary Wharf
London
E14 5 HS
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Proposal regarding Item II on the Agenda: Re-election, ratification and
appointment, if appropriate, of Directors:
II.1 To re-elect as an external Director Mr. Fernando de Almansa Moreno-Barreda,
appointing him for a new period of five years.
II.2 To ratify the interim appointment as a Director of the Company, as
previously approved by the Board of Directors, of Mr. Jose Maria Abril Perez,
appointing him as a proprietary Director for a period of five years, pursuant to
the provisions of Law and the By-Laws.
Mr. Jose Maria Abril Perez was appointed as a Director on an interim basis by
resolution of the Board of Directors on July 25th, 2007 to fill the vacancy
produced by the resignation of Mr. Gregorio Villalabeitia Galarraga.
II.3 To ratify the interim appointment as a Director of the Company, as
previously approved by the Board of Directors, of Mr. Francisco Javier de Paz
Mancho, appointing him as an independent Director for a period of five years,
pursuant to the provisions of Law and the By-Laws.
Mr. Francisco Javier de Paz Mancho was appointed as a Director on an interim
basis by resolution of the Board of Directors on December 19th, 2007 to fill the
vacancy produced by the resignation of Mr. Enrique Used Aznar.
II.4 To ratify the interim appointment as a Director of the Company, as
previously approved by the Board of Directors, of Ms. Maria Eva Castillo Sanz,
appointing her as an independent Director for a period of five years, pursuant
to the provisions of Law and the By-Laws.
Ms. Maria Eva Castillo Sanz was appointed as a Director on an interim basis by
resolution of the Board of Directors on January 23rd, 2008 to fill the vacancy
produced by the resignation of Mr. Antonio Viana-Baptista.
II.5 To ratify the interim appointment as a Director of the Company, as
previously approved by the Board of Directors, of Mr. Luiz Fernando Furlan,
appointing him as an independent Director for a period of five years, pursuant
to the provisions of Law and the By-Laws.
Mr. Luiz Fernando Furlan was appointed as a Director on an interim basis by
resolution of the Board of Directors on January 23rd, 2008 to fill the vacancy
produced by the resignation of Mr. Maximino Carpio Garcia, previously filled by
Mr. Manuel Pizarro Moreno, whom resigned on January 23rd 2008.
Furthermore, the ratification of any interim appointments of Directors that may
have been approved by the Board of Directors since the call to the General
Shareholders' Meeting and the meeting event will be proposed, if applicable.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Proposal regarding Item III on the Agenda: Authorization to acquire the
Company's own shares, either directly or through Group Companies.
A. To authorize, pursuant to the provisions of Sections 75 et. seq. and the
first additional provision, paragraph 2, of the current Spanish
Companies Act (Ley de Sociedades Anonimas), the derivative acquisition,
at any time and as many times as deemed appropriate, of Telefonica,
S.A.'s own fully paid-in shares -either directly or through any
subsidiaries it controls- by purchase or by any other legal means of
consideration.
The minimum acquisition price or consideration shall be equal to the par
value of the shares acquired, and the maximum price or consideration
shall be equal to the listing price of the shares acquired on an
official secondary market at the time of acquisition.
Such authorization is granted for a period of 18 months from the date of
this Meeting and is made expressly subject to the limitation that at no
time may the nominal value of the Company's shares acquired through the
use of this authorization, added to those already possessed by
Telefonica, S.A. and any of its controlled subsidiaries, exceed 5
percent of the share capital thereof at the time of acquisition, and the
limitations established by the regulatory authorities in the markets
where shares of Telefonica, S.A. are admitted for listing must also be
respected.
It is expressly stated for the record that the authorization to acquire
the Company's own shares may be used in whole or in part for the
acquisition of shares of Telefonica, S.A. that it must deliver or
transfer to administrators or employees of the Company or companies
within its Group, either directly or as a result of the exercise by them
of options, all within the framework of duly approved compensation
systems linked to the listing price of the Company's shares.
B. To authorize the Board of Directors, upon the broadest terms possible, to
exercise the authorization covered by this resolution and to carry out
the other provisions hereof, and such powers may be delegated by the
Board of Directors to the Executive Commission, the Executive Chairman
of the Board of Directors, the Chief Operating Officer, or any other
person that the Board of Directors expressly authorizes for such
purpose.
C. To rescind the unutilized portion of the authorization granted under item
III of the Agenda of the Company's General Shareholders' Meeting of May
10th, 2007.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Proposal regarding Item IV on the Agenda: Reduction of the share capital through
the cancellation of shares of treasury stock, excluding creditors' right to
object, and amendment of the article of the By-Laws relating to the share
capital.
A. To reduce the share capital of the Company by the amount of 68,500,000
euros, by means of the cancellation of 68,500,000 shares of the
Company's treasury stock, which were previously acquired in reliance on
the authorization previously granted by the shareholders at the General
Shareholders' Meeting, within the limits established in Sections 75 et
seq. and in additional provision 1, paragraph 2, of the Spanish
Companies Act. Accordingly, Article 5 of the By-Laws regarding the
amount of the share capital is hereby amended and shall henceforth read
as follows:
'Article 5.- Share capital
1. The share capital is 4,704,996,485 euros, divided into
4,704,996,485 common shares of a single series, with a par value
of one euro each, fully paid in.
2. The shareholders at the General Shareholders' Meeting may,
complying with the requirements and within the limits legally
established for such purpose, delegate to the Board of Directors
the power to increase the share capital.'
The reduction of the share capital is made with a charge to
discretionary reserves, cancelling the corresponding amount of the
restricted reserve mentioned in Section 79.3 of the Spanish Companies
Act, and funding a reserve due to capital reduction in the amount of
68,500,000 euros (an amount equal to the par value of the cancelled
shares) which may only be used complying with the same requirements as
those established for the reduction of the share capital, pursuant to
the provisions of item 3 of Section 167 of the Spanish Companies Act.
Accordingly, as provided therein, the creditors of the Company shall not
have the right to object mentioned in Section 166 of the Spanish
Companies Act in connection with the capital reduction resolved to be
made.
The reduction does not involve a return of contributions, since the
Company itself is the owner of the cancelled shares. The purpose of the
reduction will thus be to cancel the shares of treasury stock.
It is stated for the record, in order to comply with the provisions of
Section 289.1 of the Spanish Companies Act, that the consent of the
Bondholders Syndicates (Sindicatos de Obligacionistas) for the
outstanding issues of debentures and bonds is not required since the
capital reduction resolved to be made does not reduce the original ratio
between the sum of capital plus reserves and the amount of the
debentures pending repayment.
B. To authorize the Board of Directors, within one year from the date of
adoption of this resolution, to determine the other matters that have
not been expressly established in this resolution or that are a result
hereof, and to adopt the resolutions, take the actions and execute the
public or private documents that may be necessary or appropriate for the
full implementation of this resolution including, without limitation,
the publication of the legally required notices, the making of the
appropriate applications and the giving of the appropriate notices
required to delist the cancelled shares; such powers may be delegated by
the Board of Directors to the Executive Commission, the Executive
Chairman of the Board of Directors, the Chief Operating Officer, or to
any other person expressly authorized by the Board of Directors for such
purpose.
SEE ANNEX A : Reports of the Board of Directors on Item IV of the Agenda.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Proposal regarding Item V on the Agenda: Appointment of the Auditors of the
Company for the Fiscal Year 2008.
According to the proposal made by the Audit and Control Committee, the Board
of Directors submits the following resolution to the approval of the General
Shareholders' Meeting
Appoint Ernst & Young, S.L. as Auditor for the accounts of Telefonica, S.A.
and its' Consolidated Group of Companies for the Fiscal Year 2008. Ernst &
Young, S.L. is registered in Madrid, at Plaza Pablo Ruiz Picasso, 1, and its tax
code is B-8970506.
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Proposal regarding Item VI on the Agenda: Delegation of powers to formalize,
interpret, cure and carry out the resolutions adopted by the Shareholders at the
General Shareholders' Meeting.
To jointly and severally authorize the Executive Chairman, the Chief Operating
Officer, the Secretary and the Deputy Secretary of the Board of Directors, such
that, without prejudice to any other delegations included in this foregoing
resolutions and any powers-of-attorney to convert existing resolutions into
public instruments, any of them may formalize and execute the foregoing
resolutions, with the power for such purpose to execute the public or private
documents that are necessary or appropriate (including those of interpretation,
clarification, correction of errors and the curing of defects) for the most
correct performance thereof and for the registration thereof, to the extent
required, with the Commercial Registry (Registro Mercantil) or any other Public
Registry.
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ANNEX A: Report of the Board of Directors on Item IV of the Agenda.
REPORT OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF TELEFONICA, S.A. REGARDING THE PROPOSED
REDUCTION OF THE SHARE CAPITAL THROUGH THE CANCELLATION OF SHARES OF TREASURY
STOCK, EXCLUDING CREDITORS' RIGHT TO OBJECT, AND AMENDMENT OF THE ARTICLE OF THE
BY-LAWS RELATING TO THE SHARE CAPITAL, WHICH IS TO BE SUBMITTED TO THE
SHAREHOLDERS FOR APPROVAL AT THE ORDINARY GENERAL SHAREHOLDERS' MEETING (ITEM IV
ON THE AGENDA).
1. PURPOSE OF THE REPORT
Item IV of the Agenda for the Ordinary General Shareholders'
Meeting of Telefonica, S.A., called for April 21 and 22, 2008, includes
a proposal - which is submitted to the shareholders for approval at the
General Shareholders' Meeting - regarding a reduction of the share
capital by an amount equal to the par value of certain shares of the
Company treasury stock that are to be cancelled, and the amendment of
the article of the By-Laws relating to the share capital.
In order for the Board to be able to submit the
above-mentioned proposal for the reduction in share capital and the
amendment of the By-Laws for approval at the General Shareholders'
Meeting, it is mandatory, pursuant to the provisions of Section 164.1
and Section 144.1.a) of the applicable Spanish Companies Act (Ley de
Sociedades Anonimas), that the Board of Directors prepare a report
providing the rationale for the proposal, inasmuch as the approval of
such proposal and the implementation thereof necessarily entail an
amendment of Article 5 of the By-Laws regarding the amount of share
capital and the number of shares into which it is divided.
2. RATIONALE FOR THE PROPOSAL
Within the framework of the shareholder compensation policy
established by the Company, the Board of Directors believes it advisable
to reduce the share capital by an amount equal to the par value of
certain shares held as treasury stock, through the cancellation of such
shares, in order to increase earnings per share, which will thus benefit
the shareholders.
If the resolution providing for the reduction of the share
capital contemplated in this report is adopted, Article 5 of the By-Laws
of the Company would be amended to set forth the new amount of the share
capital and the new number of outstanding shares into which such amount
is divided (after deducting the shares of treasury stock acquired by the
Company and whose cancellation is proposed).
In order to expedite the implementation of this resolution,
it is further proposed that the shareholders at the General
Shareholders' Meeting authorize the Board of Directors to implement such
resolution (with the power to delegate, in turn, to the Executive
Commission, the Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors, the Chief
Operating Officer or to any other person expressly authorized by the
Board of Directors for such purpose) within a time limit of one year
from the date of adoption of such resolution, without needing to first
consult with the shareholders at a General Shareholders' Meeting
In addition, it is deemed appropriate, in order to provide
for greater ease of implementation and as permitted by Section 167.3 of
the Consolidated Text of the Spanish Companies Act, not to apply the
right of creditors to object provided for in Section 166 of such
Consolidated Text, and to allocate the amount of the par value of the
cancelled shares to a reserve for repurchases of share capital, which
may only be used complying with the same requirements as those
established for a reduction in the share capital.
Based on these premises, it is proposed to the shareholders
at the General Shareholders' Meeting to reduce the share capital by the
amount of 68,500,000 euros by cancelling 68,500,000 shares of the
Company's treasury stock (representing approximately 1.435% of the
current share capital of the Company) and to authorize the Board of
Directors to implement such resolution within a period of one year.
3. PROPOSED RESOLUTION SUBMITTED TO THE SHAREHOLDERS FOR APPROVAL AT THE
ORDINARY GENERAL SHAREHOLDERS' MEETING
The resolutions that the Board of Directors proposes to the
shareholders for approval at the Ordinary General Shareholders' Meeting
in connection with this matter are the following:
A. To reduce the share capital of the Company by the amount of
68,500,000 euros, by means of the cancellation of 68,500,000 shares
of the Company's treasury stock, which were previously acquired in
reliance on the authorization previously granted by the shareholders
at the General Shareholders' Meeting, within the limits established
in Sections 75 et. seq. and in additional provision 1, paragraph 2,
of the Spanish Companies Act. Accordingly, Article 5 of the By-Laws
regarding the amount of the share capital is hereby amended and
shall henceforth read as follows:
'Article 5.- Share capital
1. The share capital is 4,704,996,485 euros, divided into
4,704,996,485 common shares of a single series, with a par value
of one euro each, fully paid in.
2. The shareholders at the General Shareholders' Meeting may,
complying with the requirements and within the limits legally
established for such purpose, delegate to the Board of Directors
the power to increase the share capital.'
The reduction of the share capital is made with a charge to
discretionary reserves, cancelling the corresponding amount of the
restricted reserve mentioned in Section 79.3 of the Spanish
Companies Act, and funding a reserve due to capital reduction in the
amount of 68,500,000 euros (an amount equal to the par value of the
cancelled shares) which may only be used complying with the same
requirements as those established for the reduction of the share
capital, pursuant to the provisions of item 3 of Section 167 of the
Spanish Companies Act. Accordingly, as provided therein, the
creditors of the Company shall not have the right to object
mentioned in Section 166 of the Spanish Companies Act in connection
with the capital reduction resolved to be made.
The reduction does not involve a return of contributions, since the
Company itself is the owner of the cancelled shares. The purpose of
the reduction will thus be to cancel the shares of treasury stock.
It is stated for the record, in order to comply with the provisions
of Section 289.1 of the Spanish Companies Act, that the consent of
the Bondholders' Syndicates (Sindicatos de Obligacionistas) for the
outstanding issues of debentures and bonds is not required since the
capital reduction resolved to be made does not reduce the original
ratio between the sum of capital plus reserves and the amount of the
debentures pending repayment.
B. To authorize the Board of Directors, within one year from the date of
adoption of this resolution, to determine the other matters that
have not been expressly established in this resolution or that are a
result hereof, and to adopt the resolutions, take the actions and
execute the public or private documents that may be necessary or
appropriate for the full implementation of this resolution
including, without limitation, the publication of the legally
required notices, the making of the appropriate applications and the
giving of the appropriate notices required to delist the cancelled
shares; such powers may be delegated by the Board of Directors to
the Executive Commission, the Executive Chairman of the Board of
Directors, the Chief Operating Officer or to any other person
expressly authorized by the Board of Directors for such purpose.
Madrid, February 27, 2008
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