CG-Declaration 2010

Corporate Governance

The term Corporate Governance stands for responsible corporate management and control geared to long-term value creation. Efficient cooperation between Management Board and Supervisory Board, respect for stockholder interests, openness and transparency of corporate communications are key aspects of good corporate governance.

The Management Board and Supervisory Board of AdLINK Internet Media AG regard it as their duty to secure the Company's continued existence and sustainable value creation through responsible corporate governance focused on the long term.

The corporate governance of AdLINK Internet Media is based on the German Corporate Governance Code, which the Government Commission set up by the Federal Justice Minister in September 2001 published for the first time on February 26, 2002. The eighth version of the German Corporate Governance Code was completed on June 18, 2009 and published by the Ministry of Justice in the electronic Federal Gazette (http://www.ebundesanzeiger.de/) on August 5, 2009.

The Code contains three types of standard:

  1. regulations describing currently valid legal standards in Germany,
  2. recommendations,
  3. suggestions.

German corporations are obliged to observe the legal regulations.

With regard to the recommendations, the German Stock Corporation Act (Sec. 161) requires listed companies to publish a declaration of conformity once per year.

Companies are allowed to deviate from the suggestions without the need for disclosure.

In March 2010, the Management Board and Supervisory Board of AdLINK Internet Media AG submitted their current annual declaration of conformity in accordance with Sec. 161 AktG.

Declaration of conformity by AdLINK Internet Media AG with regard to the recommendations of the German Corporate Governance Code in accordance with Sec. 161 German Stock Corporation Act (AktG)

In accordance with Sec. 161 German Stock Corporation Act (AktG), the Management Board and Supervisory Board of AdLINK Internet Media AG declare that:

AdLINK Internet Media AG complied with the recommendations of the German Corporate Governance Code (in the version dated June 18, 2009) with the following exceptions, and expects to comply in future with the following exceptions:

Deductibles in the case of D&O insurance policies (Codex 3.8)

Since the German Act on the Appropriateness of Management Board Compensation (Gesetz zur Angemessenheit der Vorstandsvergütung - VorstAG) came into power, the German Stock Corporation Act (AktG) now requires that Management Board members accept an obligatory deductible for D&O insurance policies of at least 10% of the loss and up to at least one-and-a-half times the fixed annual compensation of the respective Management Board member (Sec. 93 AktG). Deductibles need not be agreed, however, for Supervisory Board members (Sec. 116 AktG). Beyond the scope of the AktG, the German Corporate Governance Code recommends that a similar deductible be agreed for the Supervisory Board in any D&O policy.

AdLINK Internet Media AG has fully adopted the legal requirements by amending the existing D&O insurance policies as of January 1, 2010 and has agreed its first deductible for members of the Management Board. No deductible was agreed for the Supervisory Board. AdLINK Internet Media does not generally believe that the motivation and responsibility with which the members of AdLINK Internet Media's Supervisory Board conduct their duties will be affected by such a deductible.

Committees (Code 5.3)

The German Corporate Governance Code recommends that the Supervisory Board set up an Audit Committee which, in particular, should handle issues of accounting, risk management and compliance, the necessary independence required of the auditor, the issuing of the audit mandate to the auditor, the determination of auditing focal points and the fee agreement. In addition, the German Corporate Governance Code recommends that the Supervisory Board form a Nomination Committee composed exclusively of shareholder representatives, which proposes suitable candidates to the Supervisory Board for recommendation to the Annual Shareholders' Meeting.

The Supervisory Board of AdLINK Internet Media AG currently consists of three members: in addition to their other duties, the members also deal as a group with the above-mentioned topics. The Supervisory Board's rules of procedure state that committees should only be formed if there are more than three members.

Compensation of Supervisory Board members (Code 5.4.6)

The German Corporate Governance Code recommends that the compensation of Supervisory Board members should also take into account the exercising of the Chair and Deputy Chair positions in the Supervisory Board as well as the chair and membership of committees.

As long as the Supervisory Board consists of no more than three members and no committees are formed, AdLINK Internet Media only separately considers the Chair position in the Supervisory Board.

Publication of reports (Code 7.1.2)

The German Corporate Governance Code recommends that interim reports are to be publicly accessible within 45 days of the end of the reporting period.

In fiscal year 2009, AdLINK Internet Media published its interim reports within the period recommended by the German Corporate Governance Code. As already announced in the Financial Calendar 2010, the half-year financial report 2010 will not be published until August 26, 2010 for organizational, internal reasons.




Montabaur, March 2010

For the Management Board   For the Supervisory Board
Andreas Janssen   Michael Scheeren

© 2010 AdLINK* Internet Media AG

Legal advice

*unaffiliated with the U.S. company, AdLINK Cable Advertising LLC.

United Internet