Standards of corporate governance are defined by different reference codes with respect to the type of company. Companies that are obliged to audit have to prepare a CG statement and code compliance within the scope of its annual report they can select a reference code that is relevant to them:
- Slovenian Corporate Governance Code for Listed Companies, 2016 - for companies with securities listed on the stock exchange (“listed companies”)
- Corporate Governance Code for State-Owned Enterprises, 2017 - for state-owned companies that are managed by SDH d.d. (“state-owned companies”)
- The Corporate Governance Code for Unlisted Companies, 2016 - for companies which are subject to auditing and do not fall within the domain of "listed companies" ("unlisted companies")
Disclosures of deviations from the Code and "comply or explain principle"NEW!Article 70 of the Companies Act (Official Gazette of the Republic of Slovenia, No. 55/2015): “…Companies that are subject to auditing shall include in the business report a CG statement and statement of Code compliance….”
In paragraph 5, the wording “that has its securities traded on the regulated market” was substituted with the wording “that are subject to auditing”.
Companies that choose to complyone of the reference codes have to disclose their deviations from the code. The purpose of disclosure is to present the specifics of company’s corporate governance to investors and other stakeholders. In doing so, it is vital that the company assesses on its own which code practice will follow. Deviations from the recommendations in the reference code are to be explained in a manner presenting the reasons for having assessed a recommendation as inappropriate for the company and presenting an alternative solution that is more appropriate with respect to the company’s special features. This way, a company provides the transparency of the corporate governance model for the company and enables shareholders, investors and other stakeholders to assess the quality of governance at that company. The purpose of the statement on compliance, therefore, is not to “blindly” follow all provisions of the code, as the recommendation in the code fails to present the best solution for all companies.
Monitoring Reports of CG compiances on Slovenia:
- *Report on compliance with the CG code for listed companies in Slovenia for the 2015: Poročilo o analizi skladnosti s Kodeksom upravljanja javnih delniških družb v Sloveniji v letu 2015, 2016
- *Practical guidance for quality explanations in CG statements on compliance: Praktični napotki za kakovostna pojasnila v izjavah o upravljanju, 2016
- *Analysis of compliance with the CG code for listed companies in Slovenia 2011-2014: Analiza skladnosti s Kodeksom upravljanja javnih delniških družb v Sloveniji za obdobje 2011-2014, 2015
- *Analysis of disclosures of deviations in statements: Analiza razkritij odstopanj v izjavah o skladnosti s Kodeksom, 2012
Other resources:
- Guidelines on non-financial reporting, 2017
- G20/OECD Principles of Corporate Governance, 2015
- A Guide to Corporate Governance Practices of the European Union, IFC and ecoDa, 2015
- GREEN PAPER - The EU corporate governance framework, 2011
