The Control of Corporate Europe

Abstract

Written by an international team of authors, this book provides the first systematic account of the control of corporate Europe based on voting block data disclosed in accordance with the European Union's Large Holdings Directive (88/627/EEC). The study provides detailed information on the voting control of companies listed on the official markets in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, the UK, and as a benchmark comparison, the US. The authors record a high concentration of control of corporations in many European countries, with a single blockholder frequently controlling more than 50% of the corporate votes. In contrast, a majority of UK‐listed companies have no blockholder owning more than 6% of shares. These chapters devoted to individual countries illustrate how blockholders can use legal devices to leverage their voting power over their cash‐flow rights or how incumbents prevent outsiders from gaining voting control.