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Stora Enso Oyj’s Annual General Meeting was held on 16 March 2023 at Marina Congress Center in Helsinki, Finland. The AGM adopted the accounts for 2022, reviewed the Remuneration Report 2022 and granted the Company’s Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer discharge from liability for the period.
Resolution on the use of the profit shown on the balance sheet and the payment of dividend
The AGM approved the proposal by the Board of Directors that the Company shall distribute a dividend of EUR 0.60 per share for the year 2022.
The dividend shall be paid to shareholders who on the record date of the dividend payment, Monday 20 March 2023, are recorded in the shareholders’ register maintained by Euroclear Finland Oy or in the separate register of shareholders maintained by Euroclear Sweden AB for Euroclear Sweden registered shares. Dividends payable for Euroclear Sweden registered shares will be forwarded by Euroclear Sweden AB and paid in Swedish crown. Dividends payable to ADR holders will be forwarded by Citibank N.A. and paid in US dollars.
The dividend was paid on Monday 27 March 2023.
Members of the Board of Directors
The AGM approved the proposal by the Shareholders' Nomination Board, in accordance with which the current members of the Board of Directors – Håkan Buskhe, Elisabeth Fleuriot, Helena Hedblom, Kari Jordan, Christiane Kuehne, Antti Mäkinen, Richard Nilsson and Hans Sohlström – were re-elected members of the Board of Directors until the end of the following AGM and that Astrid Hermann was elected new member of the Board of Directors for the same term of office.
In accordance with the proposal by the Shareholders' Nomination Board, the AGM elected Kari Jordan as Chair of the Board of Directors and Håkan Buskhe as Vice Chair of the Board of Directors.
Amendment of the Articles of Association
The AGM approved the proposal by the Board of Directors to amend the Company’s Articles of Association to enable arranging a General Meeting of Shareholders as a virtual meeting without a meeting venue as an alternative for a physical meeting or a hybrid meeting. The amendment facilitates the holding of General Meetings of Shareholders virtually among others in situations like pandemics or other unforeseen or exceptional circumstances, however not limited to these situations. The amendments do not preclude arranging General Meetings of Shareholders as in-person or hybrid meetings.
Changes in the Finnish law based withholding taxation of dividends paid to holders of nominee registered shares have entered into force and are applicable as of 1 January 2021.
In practice, this means that as a starting point, withholding tax of 35% will be withheld on Finnish source dividend payments in most cases. In certain situations where inter alia a custodian is registered with the Finnish Tax Administration, the withholding percentage may also be lower.
It is possible to apply from the Finnish Tax Administration for a reclaim of any tax withheld in excess of the applicable withholding tax rate (e.g. applicable tax treaty rate) after the year of the dividend payment.
This can be done by submitting a refund application to the Finnish Tax Administration, either on paper (form for corporate entities here, and for individuals here), or electronically.
You may also be able to receive a refund already during the year of dividend payment via your registered custodian. Please contact your custodian for further information.
Additional information on withholding tax reclaims can be obtained from the Tax Administration either:
- by e-mail whtreclaims@vero.fi (for corporations only); or
- via the Tax Administration general telephone and chat helplines (for both individuals and corporations)
Please note that Stora Enso does not process withholding tax reclaims.
Dividends paid to Finnish tax resident holders of nominee registered shares may as of 2020 have been subject to withholding of 50% tax prepayment (ennakonpidätys). Any excess tax prepayment will be credited in the normal tax assessment process where the shareholder reports their dividend income to the Finnish Tax Administration.
