Frequently asked Questions

We have put together the answers to some frequently asked questions for you here:

• What is a virtual Annual General Meeting?

  A “virtual Annual General Meeting” is an annual general meeting held without the shareholders or their authorised representatives being physically present at the venue. The legislator provided us with this option by introducing the Act concerning Measures under the Law of Companies, Cooperative Societies, Associations, Foundations and Commonhold Property to Combat the Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic (“COVID-19-Act”), the effects of which have been prolonged until 31 December 2021.

  As holding an event requiring physical presence during the COVID-19 pandemic would expose participants to the risk of infection and would be impossible without violating applicable regulations, the legislator has introduced the option of holding a virtual Annual General Meeting, enabling our Annual General Meeting to be held in compliance with the law.

  In view of the continuing COVID-19 pandemic, with the approval of the Supervisory Board, the Executive Board of RWE Aktiengesellschaft decided to exercise this option for the Annual General Meeting on 28 April 2021.

  The online options for following the virtual Annual General Meeting have been expanded in exchange for waiving the right of shareholders to physically attend the Annual General Meeting. Most importantly, there will be an audio-visual webcast of the entire virtual Annual General Meeting, and the shareholders will be able to exercise their voting rights electronically and submit questions in advance. In addition, this year we give our shareholders the possibility to submit written statements prior to  the virtual Annual General Meeting. All published statements can be found here on the website of RWE Aktiengesellschaft.

• Do I have to register for the virtual Annual General Meeting?

  Yes, this is necessary if you intend to exercise your voting rights and ask the Executive Board questions. The process for registering for the virtual Annual General Meeting is the same as the one you are familiar with from the normal Annual General Meetings with shareholder attendance that have been held thus far: You must submit your registration with the Company and furnish proof of share ownership via your depositary bank by a certain deadline. You will receive a participation ticket instead of an admission ticket.

  Shareholders who duly request a participation ticket from a depositary bank usually do not need to do anything else. In such cases, registration and proof of share ownership are handled by the depositary bank. Please refer to the information in the invitation and any deadlines that may have been set by your depositary bank.

• How can I follow the virtual Annual General Meeting and exercise my voting rights?

  There will be an audio-visual webcast of the entire Annual General Meeting for shareholders and the interested public. You can view the simulcast here on 28 April 2021, starting at 10:00 a.m. CEST.
  As a duly registered shareholder, you can exercise your voting rights (if necessary via an authorised third party) in various ways:

  You can exercise your voting rights electronically via the InvestorPortal by postal vote or by authorising the voting proxies nominated by the Company before and during the Annual General Meeting until the beginning of the determination of the outcomes of the votes. Access to the InvestorPortal will be provided here. The system can be used by providing the information printed on the participation ticket that is sent to all shareholders duly requesting a participation ticket by their depositary bank.

  In addition, you can exercise your voting rights in the run-up to the Annual General Meeting by using the form provided for this purpose on the back of the participation ticket (‘Briefwahl und Stimmrechtsvertretung’ (Postal Vote and Voting Proxy) marked with a B).

  The participation ticket, which is necessary in order to exercise voting rights in any event, will be sent to all shareholders duly requesting a participation ticket by their depositary bank.

• How can I ask the Executive Board questions?

  As mentioned in the information regarding shareholders’ rights, duly registered shareholders have the right to ask questions. You may submit your questions to the Executive Board via the web-based InvestorPortal until Monday, 26 April 2021, 24:00 hours CEST. Access to the InvestorPortal will be provided here. The system can be used by providing the information printed on the participation ticket that is sent to all shareholders duly requesting a participation ticket by their depositary bank.

• How can I submit my written statement in the run-up to the Annual General Meeting?

  As due to the concept of a virtual Annual General Meeting shareholders do not have the possibility to make statements regarding the Agenda during the Annual General Meeting, we provide our shareholders with the opportunity to submit written statements for publication on our website.

  These statements can be submitted under the address stated in the invitation (RWE Aktiengesellschaft, Legal & Insurance (CEJ-C), RWE Platz 1, 45141 Essen, facsimile: +49 201 5179 420 100, e-mail: HV2021@rwe.com) by no later than Monday, 26 April 2021, 24:00 hours CEST. The length of a statement shall not exceed 10,000 characters.

  There is no legal right to the publication of the statements. Please also refer to the information regarding the shareholders‘ rights and the information in the invitation.

• Why is the Annual General Meeting not being held as an event with attendance at a later point in time?

  Of course, we explored this option. In view of the current developments, however, it is uncertain whether an event with attendance can be held. However, it is important for our Company and the shareholders to pass the resolutions at the Annual General Meeting with legal certainty. This applies above all to the proposal for the appropriation of distributable profit, which is the basis for paying the dividend in the proposed amount.

• What dividend is being proposed for fiscal 2020?

  The Supervisory Board and the Executive Board of RWE Aktiengesellschaft will propose to the Annual General Meeting on 28 April 2021 that a dividend of € 0.85 per share be paid for fiscal 2020. Based on the 676,220,048 dividend-bearing shares, this results in a dividend payment of approximately € 575 million.

• Where can I view the requests for supplements to the Agenda, countermotions or candidate nominations?

  All permissible requests for supplements to the Agenda, countermotions and candidate nominations received by the Company will be published on our website together with any statements in response by management.

  Moreover, requests for supplements will be published in the German Federal Gazette, disseminated throughout Europe and communicated pursuant to Section 125, Paragraph 1, Sentence 3 of the German Stock Corporation Act.

• When did the last Annual General Meeting take place? What dividend was paid?

  Our last Annual General Meeting was held on 26 June 2020 as virtual Annual General Meeting. The Annual General Meeting decided to pay a dividend of € 0.80 per share for fiscal 2019.

• When will the 2022 Annual General Meeting take place?

  The next Annual General Meeting is scheduled for 28 April 2022.