Fully digital general meetings will be allowed again
Fully digital meetings will be allowed again for legal entities under private law, such as private companies, public limited companies, associations, cooperatives and Home Owners' Associations. This was temporarily permitted during the COVID pandemic. On the proposal of Minister Weerwind for Legal Protection, the government has approved the submission of a legislative proposal on this matter to the House of Representatives.
Fully digital meetings enable easily accessible meetings and decision-taking and reduce the regulatory burden for the business community. Legal entities decide for themselves whether they want to hold a fully digital meeting.
Many legal entities are obliged to meet with their members or shareholders at least once a year. Until now, attendance in person or partially personal and partially digital meetings were allowed legally. During the COVID pandemic, fully digital meetings were also temporarily allowed. In practice, this has been experienced as successful by many legal entities. Therefore, fully digital meetings will now be allowed permanently.
There must be sufficient support among members or shareholders for fully digital meetings. Members and shareholders must be well informed about access to a digital meeting. A fully digital meeting must also take place via a means by which participants can be identified and can vote. The usual video call applications are suitable for this purpose. In addition, the bill simplifies electronic calls for a general meeting, such as by e-mail.
The bill will be submitted to parliament shortly. The aim is to have the law enter into force on 1 January 2025.