EQS-PVR: Linde plc: Release according to Article 40, Section 1 of the WpHG [the German Securities Trading Act] with the objective of Europe-wide distribution

Standard Form TR-1

Standard form for notification of major holdings

Done at 12 Throgmorton Avenue, London, EC2N 2DL, U.K. on 27 February 2023                     

Notes

ⁱ. Persons completing this form should have regard to the requirements of the Transparency (Directive 2004/109/EC) Regulations 2007 as amended (the Regulations), the Central Bank of Irelands Transparency Rules (the Transparency Rules) and Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2015/761 of 17 December 2014.

ⁱⁱ Full name of the legal entity and other identifying specification of the issuer or underlying issuer, provided it is reliable and accurate (e.g. address, LEI, domestic number identity).

ⁱⁱⁱ Other reason for the notification could be voluntary notifications, changes of attribution of the nature of the holding (e.g. expiring of financial instruments) or acting in concert.

^iv This should be the full name of (a) the shareholder; (b) the natural person or legal entity acquiring, disposing of or exercising voting rights in the cases provided for in Regulation 15(b) to (h) of the Regulations (Article 10 (b) to (h) of Directive 2004/109/EC); or (c) the holder of financial instruments referred to in Regulation 17(1) of the Regulations (Article 13(1) of Directive 2004/109/EC).

As the disclosure of cases of acting in concert may vary due to the specific circumstances (e.g. same or different total positions of the parties, entering or exiting of acting in concert by a single party) the standard form does not provide for a specific method how to notify cases of acting in concert.

In relation to the transactions referred to in points (b) to (h) of Regulation 15 of the Regulations (Article 10 of Directive 2004/109/EC), the following list is provided as an indication of the persons who should be mentioned:

-  in the circumstances foreseen in letter (b) of Regulation 15 of the Regulations (Article 10 of Directive 2004/109/EC), the natural person or legal entity that acquires the voting rights and is entitled to exercise them under the agreement and the natural person or legal entity who is transferring temporarily for consideration the voting rights;

- in the circumstances foreseen in letter (c) of the Regulation 15 of the Regulations (Article 10 of Directive 2004/109/EC), the natural person or legal entity holding the collateral, provided the person or entity controls the voting rights and declares its intention of exercising them, and natural person or legal entity lodging the collateral under these conditions;

-  in the circumstances foreseen in letter (d) of Regulation 15 of the Regulations (Article 10 of Directive 2004/109/EC), the natural person or legal entity who has a life interest in shares if that person or entity is entitled to exercise the voting rights attached to the shares and the natural person or legal entity who is disposing of the voting rights when the life interest is created;

-  in the circumstances foreseen in letter (e) of Regulation 15 of the Regulations (Article 10 of Directive 2004/109/EC), the controlling natural person or legal entity and, provided it has a notification duty at an individual level under Regulation 14 of the Regulations (Article 9 of Directive 2004/109/EC), under letters (a) to (d) of Regulation 15 of the Regulations (Article 10 of Directive 2004/109/EC) or under a combination of any of those situations, the controlled undertaking;

-  in the circumstances foreseen in letter (f) of Regulation 15 of the Regulations (Article 10 of Directive 2004/109/EC), the deposit taker of the shares, if he can exercise the voting rights attached to the shares deposited with him at his discretion, and the depositor of the shares allowing the deposit taker to exercise the voting rights at his discretion;

-  in the circumstances foreseen in letter (g) of Regulation 15 of the Regulations (Article 10 of Directive 2004/109/EC), the natural person or legal entity that controls the voting rights;

-  in the circumstances foreseen in letter (h) of Regulation 15 of the Regulations (Article 10 of Directive 2004/109/EC), the proxy holder, if he can exercise the voting rights at his discretion, and the shareholder who has given his proxy to the proxy holder allowing the latter to exercise the voting rights at his discretion (e.g. management companies).

^v Applicable in the cases provided for in Regulation 15(b) to (h) of the Regulations (Article 10 (b) to (h) of Directive 2004/109/EC). This should be the full name of the shareholder who is the counterparty to the natural person or legal entity referred to in Regulation 15 of the Regulations (Article 10 Directive 2004/109/EC) unless the percentage of voting rights held by the shareholder is lower than the lowest notifiable threshold for the disclosure of voting rights holdings in accordance with the requirements of the Regulations and the Transparency Rules.

^vi The date on which threshold is crossed or reached should be the date on which the acquisition or disposal took place or the other reason triggered the notification obligation. For passive crossings, the date when the corporate event took effect.

^vii The total number of voting rights shall be composed of all the shares, including depository receipts representing shares, to which voting rights are attached even if the exercise thereof is suspended.

^viii If the holding has fallen below the lowest applicable threshold in accordance with the Regulations and the Transparency Rules  the holder is not obliged to disclose the extent of the holding only that the holding is below 3% or below 5% as appropriate.

^ix In case of combined holdings of shares with voting rights attached 'direct holding' and voting rights 'indirect holding', please split the voting rights number and percentage into the direct and indirect columns if there is no combined holdings, please leave the relevant box blank.

^x Date of maturity/expiration of the financial instrument i.e. the date when right to acquire shares ends.

^xi If the financial instrument has such a period please specify this period for example once every 3 months starting from [date].

^xii In case of cash settled instruments the number and percentages of voting rights is to be presented on a delta-adjusted basis (Regulation 17(4) of the Regulations/Article 13(1a) of Directive 2004/109/EC).

^xiii If the person subject to the notification obligation is either controlled and/or does control another undertaking then the second option applies.

^xiv The full chain of controlled undertakings, starting with the ultimate controlling natural person or legal entity, has to be presented also in cases in which only on subsidiary level a threshold is crossed or reached and the subsidiary undertaking discloses the notification, as only thus will the markets get a full picture of the group holdings. In the case of multiple chains through which the voting rights and/or financial instruments are effectively held, the chains have to be presented chain by chain leaving a row free between different chains (e.g.: A, B, C, free row, A, B, D, free row, A, E, F etc.).

^xv The names of controlled undertakings through which the voting rights and/or financial instruments are effectively held have to be presented irrespective of whether the controlled undertakings cross or reach the lowest applicable threshold themselves.

^xvi Example: Correction of a previous notification.