Economy
An Unwilling Company in the Netherlands Is Not for Sale
Canadian engineering firm WSP has abandoned its takeover bid for Arcadis, illustrating how difficult it is to acquire a Dutch company if its board opposes the sale. Legal precedents and structures like continuity foundations and priority shares grant significant autonomy to management over shareholders in most listed firms. Only Shell and Relx are exceptions where shareholders hold decisive power. Recent legislation also restricts the sale of companies deemed crucial to the Netherlands without government approval.
Ozetta summarises; the reporting is the newsroom's