During the spread of COVID-19, listed companies must prepare for their upcoming annual general meeting in 2020.

Key Points:

..The annual general meeting (AGM) of a listed company must generally take place within the first eight or (for European stock companies) six months of a business year.

..If meetings are prohibited by law, either completely or restricted to a certain number of participants, they must be postponed. Currently, and subject to longer-term local event bans, this applies to all companies whose AGM was scheduled for March or April 2020. Such postponements do not imply a breach of duty. Companies with an AGM at a later date can and should still wait and see, as cancellations can also be made at short notice...