2025-01-22
The Algerian Minister of Finance approved COSOB Regulation No. 25-01, which establishes the legal framework and technical requirements for remote electronic attendance and voting at general assemblies of listed companies. The regulation mandates that such systems be hosted in Algeria, secured through encryption and independent audits, and integrated with physical voting results while ensuring strict data protection and shareholder authentication. It further defines procedural obligations for companies, including notification timelines, complaint handling, and penalties for infractions such as data misuse or system tampering.
JOURNAL OFFICIAL OF THE ALGERIAN REPUBLIC No. 41 13 5 Moharram 1447 1 July 2025 MINISTRY OF FINANCES Decree of 5 Dhou El Hidja 1446 corresponding to 1 June 2025 approving the regulation of the Commission for the Organization and Supervision of Stock Market Operations (COSOB) No. 25-01 of 22 Rajab 1446 corresponding to 22 January 2025 setting the conditions and procedures for remote attendance and voting by electronic means at the general assemblies of listed companies. ———— The Minister of Finances, Having regard to Ordinance No. 75-59 of 26 September 1975, as amended and supplemented, establishing the Commercial Code; Having regard to Legislative Decree No. 93-10 of 23 May 1993, as amended and supplemented, relating to the securities market; Having regard to Law No. 15-04 of 11 Rabie Ethani 1436 corresponding to 1 February 2015 setting the general rules relating to the electronic signature and certification; Having regard to Law No. 18-07 of 25 Ramadhan 1439 corresponding to 10 June 2018 relating to the protection of natural persons in the processing of personal data; Having regard to Law No. 24-08 of 22 Joumada El Oula 1446 corresponding to 24 November 2024, being the Finance Law for 2025, particularly its Article 184; Having regard to Presidential Decree No. 24-374 of 16 Joumada El Oula 1446 corresponding to 18 November 2024, as amended, establishing the appointment of members of the Government; Decrees: Article 1. — The regulation of the Commission for the Organization and Supervision of Stock Market Operations (COSOB) No. 25-01 of 22 Rajab 1446 corresponding to 22 January 2025 setting the conditions and procedures for remote attendance and voting by electronic means at the general assemblies of listed companies, attached to this decree, is hereby approved. Art. 2. — This decree shall be published in the Official Journal of the Algerian Democratic and Popular Republic. Done in Algiers, 5 Dhou El Hidja 1446 corresponding to 1 June 2025. Abdelkrim BOUZRED. ——————————— ANNEX Regulation of the Commission for the Organization and Supervision of Stock Market Operations (COSOB) No. 25-01 of 22 Rajab 1446 corresponding to 22 January 2025 setting the conditions and procedures for remote attendance and voting by electronic means at the general assemblies of listed companies. The President of the Commission for the Organization and Supervision of Stock Market Operations (COSOB), Having regard to Ordinance No. 75-59 of 26 September 1975, as amended and supplemented, establishing the Commercial Code; Having regard to Legislative Decree No. 93-10 of 23 May 1993, as amended and supplemented, relating to the securities market; Having regard to Law No. 15-04 of 11 Rabie Ethani 1436 corresponding to 1 February 2015 setting the general rules relating to the electronic signature and certification; Having regard to Law No. 18-07 of 25 Ramadhan 1439 corresponding to 10 June 2018 relating to the protection of natural persons in the processing of personal data; Having regard to Law No. 24-08 of 22 Joumada El Oula 1446 corresponding to 24 November 2024, being the Finance Law for 2025, particularly its Article 184; Having regard to the Presidential Decree of 5 Chaâbane 1444 corresponding to 26 February 2023 establishing the appointment of the President of the Commission for the Organization and Supervision of Stock Market Operations; Having regard to the Decree of 29 Ramadhan 1443 corresponding to 30 April 2022, as amended, establishing the appointment of the members of the Commission for the Organization and Supervision of Stock Market Operations; Having regard to COSOB Regulation No. 2000-02 of 14 Chaoual 1420 corresponding to 20 January 2000 relating to the information to be published by companies whose securities are listed on the stock exchange; Having regard to COSOB Regulation No. 23-04 of 10 Rabie Ethani 1445 corresponding to 25 October 2023 relating to the General Regulations of the Securities Market; After adoption by the Commission for the Organization and Supervision of Stock Market Operations, on 22 Rajab 1446 corresponding to 22 January 2025; Enacts the regulation as follows: Article 1. — In application of the provisions of Article 184 of Law No. 24-08 of 22 Joumada El Oula 1446 corresponding to 24 November 2024 cited above, the purpose of this regulation is to set the conditions and procedures for remote attendance and voting by electronic means at the general assemblies of listed companies. Art. 2. — The remote attendance and voting system by electronic means, hereinafter referred to as "the remote attendance and voting system", allows shareholders of the listed company, hereinafter referred to as the "company", to participate in the general assembly via video conferencing technology or via any other means of communication allowing their identification, and to vote on the resolutions presented to the general assembly. Art. 3. — Only shareholders participating in the general assembly via video conferencing technology or by any other means of communication allowing their identification may vote remotely in real time. Art. 4. — A company wishing to implement a remote attendance and voting system during the general assemblies of its shareholders must be authorized to do so by its statutes. This system must be hosted in Algeria and must ensure: — encryption of communications;
14 JOURNAL OFFICIAL OF THE ALGERIAN REPUBLIC No. 41 5 Moharram 1447 1 July 2025 — real-time monitoring to detect intrusions and suspicious activities; — traceability of the voting operation, recording of each vote as well as the integrity of the results; — transmission of complaints by shareholders; — protection of the personal data of shareholders, in accordance with Law No. 18-07 of 25 Ramadhan 1439 corresponding to 10 June 2018 cited above. The company must ensure the availability and performance of the remote attendance and voting system during the course of the general assembly. Art. 5. — The remote attendance and voting system mentioned in Article 2 above may be developed by the company, or made available to it by a specialized information technology service provider, for the purposes of remote attendance and voting at general assemblies. Art. 6. — The remote attendance and voting system must be subject to an audit and technical tests carried out by an external independent firm specialized in information and communication technologies, prior to its commissioning. The audit and technical tests must guarantee the computer security of the remote attendance and voting system, the reliability and stability of its functionalities as well as the integrity of the remote voting process and results. The audit and technical tests are carried out under the responsibility of the company. Art. 7. — The company and the specialized information technology service provider are jointly responsible for the security and integrity of the remote attendance and voting system. In the event of malfunction or security breach, the company must immediately inform the Commission for the Organization and Supervision of Stock Market Operations, hereinafter referred to as the "Commission", and take the necessary corrective measures. Art. 8. — The company must inform the Commission and the Stock Market Management Company of the implementation of the remote attendance and voting system thirty (30) calendar days, at least, before the holding of the shareholders' general assembly. Art. 9. — The remote attendance and voting system must be able to identify and authenticate the shareholder before they access it and vote on the resolutions submitted to the general assembly. To this end, the company must assign to each shareholder who wishes to do so, an identifier and/or a password to access this system. The company must set up a technical assistance service for shareholders who encounter difficulties in using the remote attendance and voting system. This service must be accessible by telephone and by electronic mail, and must be operational before and during the general assembly. Art. 10. — The company must include in the documents and notices published on the occasion of the holding of the shareholders' general assemblies, the information and instructions to follow to participate and vote remotely. The notice of the general assembly must specify the procedures and deadlines for communication to the company by each shareholder wishing to participate and vote remotely of their telephone number and, where applicable, their electronic address, for the purposes of their identification and authentication on the remote attendance and voting system. The company may, at its discretion, register shareholders whose requests for remote participation and voting are received after the establishment of the list of shareholders registered for the general assembly. Art. 11. — The company must take into account, for the calculation of the quorum required for voting at general assemblies as provided by the legislation in force, the voting rights held by shareholders participating in the general assembly via the remote attendance and voting system. Art. 12. — The remote attendance and voting system must allow shareholders to vote on each resolution by the options "For", "Against" or "Abstention". The system must thus allow the shareholder to validate their choice before submitting it. Art. 13. — After deliberation on each resolution, no vote is taken into account except in the case of a malfunction of the remote attendance and voting system duly established. Art. 14. — The company must integrate remote votes with votes expressed by shareholders physically present at the general assembly. The final results, detailed by resolution, must be integrated into the minutes of the general assembly. Art. 15. — The remote attendance and voting process must be supervised by an information and communication technology specialist, under the responsibility of the company. The specialist mentioned in the preceding paragraph must draw up a report on remote participation and voting, any technical problems, as well as on the conformity and integrity of the results. This report is submitted to the bureau of the shareholders' general assembly. The company is required to transmit to the Commission a copy of the report mentioned in the paragraph above, at the latest, on the second working day following the holding of the general assembly. Art. 16. — The company must retain data relating to remote attendance and voting, in a secure manner, for the purposes of control by the Commission, and to respond to any verification requests. Any complaint from shareholders who voted remotely must be addressed to the company via the remote attendance and voting system, within a period of two (2) working days following the date of the holding of the general assembly. Complaints made after this deadline are not taken into account.
JOURNAL OFFICIAL OF THE ALGERIAN REPUBLIC No. 41 15 5 Moharram 1447 1 July 2025 The company is required to process the complaint within a maximum period of three (3) working days, from its receipt. Art. 17. — The Commission may order the company, in the event of infringement of the provisions of this regulation or malfunction of the remote attendance and voting system, when it deems it necessary, to reschedule, under the conditions it defines, the remote voting for shareholders who chose this mode of voting. The final voting results must be reviewed accordingly. Art. 18. — The following constitute infringements of the provisions of this regulation, in particular: — collecting, processing and using the personal data of shareholders in violation of the provisions of Law No. 18-07 of 25 Ramadhan 1439 corresponding to 10 June 2018, cited above; — damaging or attempting to damage the remote attendance and voting system; — compromising the integrity of the remote voting results, by interfering with its course, by a computer attack or by any other means directed against the remote attendance and voting system with a view to disabling it; — falsifying the results of remote voting; — failing to comply with the conditions for remote attendance and voting as set by this regulation. Art. 19. — Any infringement of the provisions of this regulation is subject to the sanctions provided for by the legislation and regulations in force. Art. 20. — The provisions of this regulation are specified, as necessary, by instruction of the Commission. Done in Algiers, 22 Rajab 1446 corresponding to 22 January 2025. Youcef BOUZENADA. MINISTRY OF INDUSTRY Interministerial Decree of 27 Chaoual 1446 corresponding to 26 April 2025 setting the procedures for communication of data relating to physical production and inputs used by economic enterprises falling under the industrial sector engaged in the production of goods. ———— The Minister of Industry, and The Minister of Finances, Having regard to Legislative Decree No. 94-01 of 3 Chaâbane 1414 corresponding to 15 January 1994 relating to the statistical system; Having regard to Law No. 18-07 of 25 Ramadhan 1439 corresponding to 10 June 2018 relating to the protection of natural persons in the processing of personal data; Having regard to Law No. 18-18 of 19 Rabie Ethani 1440 corresponding to 27 December 2018, as amended, being the Finance Law for 2019, particularly its Article 48; Having regard to Presidential Decree No. 24-374 of 16 Joumada El Oula 1446 corresponding to 18 November 2024, as amended, establishing the appointment of members of the Government; Having regard to Executive Decree No. 95-54 of 15 Ramadhan 1415 corresponding to 15 February 1995 setting the duties of the Minister of Finances; Having regard to Executive Decree No. 13-84 of 25 Rabie El Aouel 1434 corresponding to 6 February 2013, as amended and supplemented, setting the procedures for the organization and management of the national file of fraudsters, perpetrators of serious infractions to the legislation and regulations on fiscal, commercial, customs, banking and financial matters as well as the failure to deposit legal accounts; Having regard to Executive Decree No. 15-249 of 15 Dhou El Hidja 1436 corresponding to 29 September 2015 setting the content, articulation as well as the conditions for management and updating of the nomenclature of economic activities subject to registration in the commercial register; Having regard to Executive Decree No. 22-78 of 18 Rajab 1443 corresponding to 19 February 2022 establishing the creation of the wilaya directorate of industry, its missions and its organization; Having regard to Executive Decree No. 23-411 of 6 Joumada El Oula 1445 corresponding to 20 November 2023 setting the duties of the Minister of Industry and Pharmaceutical Production; Having regard to Executive Decree No. 24-358 of 5 Joumada El Oula 1446 corresponding to 7 November 2024 setting the deadlines for payment of expenses, the procedures for collection of revenues, and the conditions for admission to non-values; Decree: Article 1. — In application of the provisions of Article 48 of Law No. 18-18 of 19 Rabie Ethani 1440 corresponding to 27 December 2018 being the Finance Law for 2019, the purpose of this decree is to set the procedures for communication of data relating to physical production and inputs used by economic enterprises falling under the sector of industry engaged in the production of goods, as well as the procedures for drawing up a report on their activity. Art. 2. — The provisions of this decree apply to economic enterprises of Algerian law falling under the industrial sector, regardless of their legal nature, engaged in the production of goods, included in the nomenclature of economic activities subject to registration in the commercial register, in accordance with the regulations in force, hereinafter referred to as the "enterprise". Art. 3. — Without prejudice to the legislative and regulatory provisions in force, each enterprise is required to communicate data relating to physical production and inputs used, to the wilaya directorate of industry within whose territorial jurisdiction the registered office of this enterprise is located. The communication of data also includes a semi-annual report of its activity.