Do you want to know more about Stora Enso?
Stora Enso Oyj’s ("Stora Enso" or the "Company") Annual General Meeting (the "AGM") was held on 20 March 2024 at Marina Congress Center in Helsinki, Finland. The AGM adopted the accounts for 2023, adopted the remuneration report for 2023 through an advisory resolution 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 resolved, in accordance with the proposal by the Board of Directors, that the Company shall distribute a dividend of EUR 0.10 per share for the year 2023.
The dividend shall be paid to shareholders who on the record date of the dividend payment, 22 March 2024, 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 shall be paid on or about 4 April 2024.
In addition, the AGM resolved, in accordance with the proposal of the Board of Directors, that the Board of Directors is authorised to decide at its discretion on the payment of an additional dividend up to a maximum of EUR 0.20 per share. Based on the authorisation, it is also possible to resolve on distributing the additional dividend in one or several instalments. The authorisation is valid until 31 December 2024. The Company will publish possible resolutions of the Board of Directors on dividend payments and confirm the record and payment dates of the dividend payments in connection with such resolutions.
Composition of the Board of Directors
The AGM resolved, in accordance with the proposal by the Shareholders’ Nomination Board, that the Board of Directors shall have eight (8) members.
The AGM further resolved, in accordance with the proposal by the Shareholders’ Nomination Board, to re-elect the current members of the Board of Directors – Håkan Buskhe, Elisabeth Fleuriot, Helena Hedblom, Astrid Hermann, Kari Jordan, Christiane Kuehne, and Richard Nilsson – as members of the Board of Directors until the end of the following AGM and to elect Reima Rytsölä as a 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 resolved to elect Kari Jordan as Chair of the Board of Directors and Håkan Buskhe as Vice Chair of the Board of Directors.
Read more in the AGM resolutions release.
Changes in withholding taxation of dividends
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:
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.
