Edgar Filing: SCOR - Form 424B3

EXHIBIT A

Rule 424(b)(3)

File No. 333-112953

EXHIBIT A

___________________________________

AMERICAN DEPOSITARY SHARES

(Each American Depositary Share represents

one-tenth (1/10) of one deposited Share)

THE BANK OF NEW YORK

AMERICAN DEPOSITARY RECEIPT

FOR ORDINARY SHARES OF

THE PAR VALUE OF 0.78769723 EURO EACH OF

SCOR

(INCORPORATED UNDER THE LAWS OF THE REPUBLIC OF FRANCE)

The Bank of New York, as depositary (hereinafter called the "Depositary"), hereby certifies that __________________________________________ ____________________________________________, or registered assigns IS THE OWNER OF _____________________________

AMERICAN DEPOSITARY SHARES

representing deposited ordinary shares (herein called "Shares") of Scor, incorporated under the laws of the Republic of France (herein called the "Company"). At the date hereof, each American Depositary Share represents one-tenth (1/10) of one Share which is either deposited or subject to deposit under the Deposit Agreement (as such term is hereinafter defined) at the French offices of Banque Indosuez (Paris), Banque Nacionale de Paris (Dinan Cedex), Banque Paribas (Paris), Banque Worms (Paris), Credit Lyonnais (Paris) and Societe Generale (Nantes) (herein collectively called the "Custodian"). The Depositary's Corporate Trust Office is located at a different address than its principal executive office. Its Corporate Trust Office is located at 101 Barclay Street, New York, N.Y. 10286, and its principal executive office is located at One Wall Street, New York, N.Y. 10286.

THE DEPOSITARY'S CORPORATE TRUST OFFICE ADDRESS IS

101 BARCLAY STREET, NEW YORK, N.Y. 10286

THE DEPOSIT AGREEMENT.

This American Depositary Receipt is one of an issue (herein called "Receipts"), all issued and to be issued upon the terms and conditions set forth in the deposit agreement, dated as of October 8, 1996, as amended and restated as of December 1, 2003 (herein called the "Deposit Agreement"), by and among the Company, the Depositary, and all Owners and Beneficial Owners from time to time of Receipts issued thereunder, each of whom by accepting a Receipt agrees to become a party thereto and become bound by all the terms and conditions thereof. The Deposit Agreement sets forth the rights of Owners and Beneficial Owners of the Receipts and the rights and duties of the Depositary in respect of the Shares deposited thereunder and any and all other securities, property and cash from time to time received in respect of such Shares and held thereunder (such Shares, securities, property, and cash are herein called "Deposited Securities"). Copies of the Deposit Agreement are on file at the Depositary's Corporate Trust Office in New York City and at the office of the Custodian.

The statements made on the face and reverse of this Receipt are summaries of certain provisions of the Deposit Agreement and are qualified by and subject to the detailed provisions of the Deposit Agreement, to which reference is hereby made. Capitalized terms defined in the Deposit Agreement and not defined herein shall have the meanings set forth in the Deposit Agreement.

SURRENDER OF RECEIPTS AND WITHDRAWAL OF SHARES.

Upon surrender at the Corporate Trust Office of the Depositary of this Receipt for the purpose of withdrawal of the Deposited Securities represented by the American Depositary Shares evidenced by this Receipt, and upon payment of the fee of the Depositary for the surrender of Receipts as provided in this Receipt, and subject to the terms and conditions of the Deposit Agreement, the Company statuts and the Deposited Securities, the Owner hereof is entitled to the transfer of the Deposited Securities to an account in the name of such Owner, or such name as shall be designated by such Owner, maintained by the Company or its agent for registration and transfer of Shares in the case of Shares in registered form, or maintained by an accredited financial institution in the case of Shares in bearer form, of the amount of the Deposited Securities at the time represented by the American Depositary Shares for which this Receipt is issued. Such delivery will be made at the option of the Owner hereof, either at the office of the Custodian or at the Corporate Trust Office of the Depositary, provided that the forwarding of certificates for Shares or other Deposited Securities for such delivery at the Corporate Trust Office of the Depositary shall be at the risk and expense of the Owner hereof.

TRANSFERS, SPLIT-UPS, AND COMBINATIONS OF RECEIPTS.

The transfer of this Receipt is registrable on the books of the Depositary at its Corporate Trust Office upon surrender of this Receipt, by the Owner hereof in person or by a duly authorized attorney, properly endorsed or accompanied by proper instruments of transfer, with any endorsements appearing on such Receipt relating to compliance with the applicable restrictions on transfer thereof, and duly stamped as may be required by the laws of the State of New York and of the United States of America and accompanied by funds sufficient to pay any applicable transfer taxes and the expenses of the Depositary and upon compliance with such regulations, if any, as the Depositary may establish for such purpose. This Receipt may be split into other such Receipts, or may be combined with other such Receipts into one Receipt, evidencing the same aggregate number of American Depositary Shares as the Receipt or Receipts surrendered. As a condition precedent to the execution and delivery, registration of transfer, split-up, combination, or surrender of any Receipt, the delivery of any distribution thereon, or withdrawal of any Deposited Securities, the Company, Depositary, Custodian or Registrar may require payment from the depositor of the Shares or the presenter of the Receipt of a sum sufficient to reimburse it for any tax or other governmental charge and any stock transfer, registration, or conversion fee with respect thereto (including any such tax, charge or fee with respect to Shares being deposited or withdrawn) and payment of any fees of the Depositary as provided in this Receipt, may require the production of proof satisfactory to it as to the identity and genuineness of any signature and may also require compliance with any regulations the Depositary may establish consistent with the provisions of the Deposit Agreement or this Receipt, including, without limitation, this Article 3.

The delivery of Receipts against deposit of Shares generally or against deposits of particular Shares may be suspended, or the transfer of Receipts in particular instances may be refused, or the registration of transfer of outstanding Receipts generally may be suspended, during any period when the transfer books of the Company, the Depositary or any Registrar are closed, or if any such action is deemed necessary or advisable by the Depositary or the Company at any time or from time to time because of any requirement of law or of any government or governmental body or commission, or under any provision of the Deposit Agreement or this Receipt, or for any other reason, subject to the provisions of the following sentence. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in the Deposit Agreement or this Receipt, the surrender of outstanding Receipts and withdrawal of Deposited Securities may not be suspended subject only to (i) temporary delays caused by closing the transfer books of the Depositary or the Company or the deposit of Shares in connection with voting at a shareholders' meeting or the payment of dividends, (ii) the payment of fees, taxes and similar charges and (iii) compliance with any U.S. or foreign laws or governmental regulations relating to the Receipts or to the withdrawal of the Deposited Securities. Without limitation of the foregoing, the Depositary shall not knowingly accept for deposit under the Deposit Agreement any Shares or rights required to be registered under the provisions of the Securities Act of 1933, unless a registration statement is in effect as to such Shares. The Depositary will comply with written instructions from the Company requesting that the Depositary not accept for deposit hereunder any Shares or rights identified in such instructions in order to facilitate the Company's compliance with U.S. and State securities laws.

LIABILITY OF OWNER FOR TAXES.

If any tax or other governmental charge shall become payable with respect to any Receipt or any Deposited Securities represented hereby, such tax or other governmental charge shall be payable by the Owner hereof to the Depositary. The Depositary may refuse to effect any transfer of this Receipt or any withdrawal of Deposited Securities represented by American Depositary Shares evidenced by such Receipt until such payment is made, and may withhold any dividends or other distributions, or may sell for the account of the Owner hereof any part or all of the Deposited Securities represented by the American Depositary Shares evidenced by this Receipt, and may apply such dividends or other distributions or the proceeds of any such sale in payment of such tax or other governmental charge (and any taxes or expenses arising out of such sale), and the Owner hereof shall remain liable for any deficiency.

WARRANTIES ON DEPOSIT OF SHARES.

Every person depositing Shares under the Deposit Agreement shall be deemed thereby to represent and warrant, in addition to such representations and warranties as may be required pursuant to Section 2.02 of the Deposit Agreement, that such Shares are validly issued, fully paid, and nonassessable and that the person making such deposit is duly authorized so to do. Every such person shall also be deemed to represent that such Shares and the Receipts evidencing American Depositary Shares representing such Shares would not be Restricted Securities. Such representations and warranties shall survive the deposit of Shares and issuance of Receipts.

FILING PROOFS, CERTIFICATES, AND OTHER INFORMATION.

Any person presenting Shares for deposit or any Owner of a Receipt may be required from time to time to file with the Depositary or the Custodian such proof of citizenship or residence, exchange control approval, legal or beneficial ownership of Receipts, Deposited Securities or other securities, compliance with all applicable laws or regulations, or such information relating to the registration on the books of the Company (or the appointed agent of the Company for transfer and registration of Shares), if applicable, to execute such certificates and to make such representations and warranties, as the Depositary may deem necessary or proper. The Depositary may withhold the delivery or registration of transfer of any Receipt or the distribution of any dividend or sale or distribution of rights or of the proceeds thereof or the delivery of any Deposited Securities until such proof or other information is filed or such certificates are executed or such representations and warranties made. No Shares shall be accepted for deposit unless accompanied by evidence satisfactory to the Depositary that any necessary approval has been granted by any governmental body in The Republic of France which is or are then regulating currency exchange.

CHARGES OF DEPOSITARY.

The Company agrees to pay the fees and reasonable expenses of the Depositary and those of any Registrar only in accordance with agreements in writing entered into between the Depositary and the Company from time to time. The Depositary shall present detailed statements for such expenses to the Company at least once every three months. The charges and expenses of the Custodian are for the sole account of the Depositary.

The following charges (to the extent permitted by applicable law or the rules of any securities exchange on which the American Depositary Shares are admitted for trading) shall be incurred by any party depositing or withdrawing Shares or by any party surrendering Receipts or to whom Receipts are issued (including, without limitation, issuance pursuant to a stock dividend or stock split declared by the Company or an exchange of stock regarding the Receipts or Deposited Securities or a distribution of Receipts pursuant to Section 4.03 of the Deposit Agreement), whichever applicable: (1) taxes and other governmental charges, (2) such registration fees as may from time to time be in effect for the registration of transfers of Shares generally on the share register of the Company (or (if applicable) the appointed agent of the Company for transfer and registration of Shares) and applicable to transfers of Shares to the name of the Depositary or its nominee or the Custodian or its nominee on the making of deposits or withdrawals under the terms of the Deposit Agreement, (3) such cable, telex and facsimile transmission expenses as are expressly provided in the Deposit Agreement, (4) such expenses as are incurred by the Depositary in the conversion of Foreign Currency pursuant to Section 4.05 of the Deposit Agreement, (5) a fee not in excess of $5.00 per 100 American Depositary Shares (or portion thereof) for the execution and delivery and for the surrender of Receipts pursuant to Sections 2.03, 4.03, 4.04, 2.05 and 6.02 of the Deposit Agreement, respectively, and (6) a fee for the distribution of securities pursuant to Section 4.02 of the Deposit Agreement, such fee being in an amount equal to the fee for the execution and delivery of American Depositary Shares referred to above which would have been charged as a result of the deposit of such securities (for purposes of this clause (6) treating all such securities as if they were Shares), but which securities are instead distributed by the Depositary to Owners.

The Depositary, subject to Article 8 hereof, may own and deal in any class of securities of the Company and its affiliates and in Receipts.

PRE-RELEASE OF RECEIPTS.

The Depositary may issue Receipts against delivery by the Company (or any agent of the Company recording Share ownership) of rights to receive Shares from the Company (or any such agent of the Company). No such issue of Receipts will be deemed a "Pre-Release" that is subject to the restrictions of the following paragraph.

Unless requested in writing by the Company to cease doing so, the Depositary may, notwithstanding Section 2.03 of the Deposit Agreement, execute and deliver Receipts prior to the receipt of Shares pursuant to Section 2.02 of the Deposit Agreement ("Pre-Release"). The Depositary may, pursuant to Section 2.05 of the Deposit Agreement, deliver Shares upon the receipt and cancellation of Receipts which have been Pre-Released, whether or not such cancellation is prior to the termination of such Pre-Release or the Depositary knows that such Receipt has been Pre-Released. The Depositary may receive Receipts in lieu of Shares in satisfaction of a Pre-Release. Each Pre-Release will be (a) preceded or accompanied by a written representation and agreement from the person to whom Receipts are to be delivered (the "Pre-Releasee") that the Pre-Releasee, or its customer, (i) owns the Shares or Receipts to be remitted, as the case may be, (ii) assigns all beneficial right, title and interest in such Shares or Receipts, as the case may be, to the Depositary in its capacity as such and for the benefit of the Owners, and (iii) will not take any action with respect to such Shares or Receipts, as the case may be, that is inconsistent with the transfer of beneficial ownership (including, without the consent of the Depositary, disposing of such Shares or Receipts, as the case may be, other than in satisfaction of such Pre-Release), (b) at all times fully collateralized with cash, U.S. government securities or such other collateral as the Depositary determines, in good faith, will provide substantially similar liquidity and security, (c) terminable by the Depositary on not more than five (5) business days notice, and (d) subject to such further indemnities and credit regulations as the Depositary deems appropriate. The number of Shares not deposited but represented by American Depositary Shares outstanding at any time as a result of Pre-Releases will not normally exceed thirty percent (30%) of the Shares deposited under the Deposit Agreement; provided, however, that the Depositary reserves the right to disregard such limit from time to time as it deems reasonably appropriate, and may, with the prior written consent of the Company, change such limit for purposes of general application. The Depositary will also set dollar limits with respect to Pre-Release transactions to be entered into hereunder with any particular Pre-Releasee on a case-by-case basis as the Depositary deems appropriate. For purposes of enabling the Depositary to fulfill its obligations to the Owners under the Deposit Agreement, the collateral referred to in clause (b) above shall be held by the Depositary as security for the performance of the Pre-Releasee's obligations to the Depositary in connection with a Pre-Release transaction, including the Pre-Releasee's obligation to deliver Shares or Receipts upon termination of a Pre-Release transaction (and shall not, for the avoidance of doubt, constitute Deposited Securities hereunder).

The Depositary may retain for its own account any compensation received by it in connection with the foregoing.

TITLE TO RECEIPTS.

It is a condition of this Receipt and every successive Owner and Beneficial Owner of this Receipt by accepting or holding the same consents and agrees, that title to this Receipt (and to the American Depositary Shares evidenced thereby), when properly endorsed or accompanied by proper instruments of transfer and transferred in accordance with the terms of the Deposit Agreement, including without limitation Sections 2.04 and 2.06 thereof, is transferable by delivery with the same effect as in the case of a negotiable instrument; provided, however, that the Depositary and the Company, notwithstanding any notice to the contrary, may treat the person in whose name this Receipt is registered on the books of the Depositary as the absolute owner hereof for the purpose of determining the person entitled to distribution of dividends or other distributions or to any notice provided for in the Deposit Agreement or for all other purposes and neither the Depositary nor the Company shall have any obligation or be subject to any liability under the Deposit Agreement to any holder of this Receipt unless such holder is the Owner hereof.

10.

VALIDITY OF RECEIPT.

This Receipt shall not be entitled to any benefits under the Deposit Agreement or be valid or obligatory for any purpose, unless this Receipt shall have been executed by the Depositary by the manual signature of a duly authorized signatory of the Depositary; provided, however that such signature may be a facsimile if a Registrar for the Receipts shall have been appointed and such Receipts are countersigned by the manual signature of a duly authorized officer of the Registrar.

11.

REPORTS; INSPECTION OF TRANSFER BOOKS.

The Company is subject to the periodic reporting requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and, accordingly, files certain reports with the Commission. Such reports and communications will be available for inspection and copying at the public reference facilities maintained by the Commission located at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549.

The Depositary will make available for inspection by Owners at its Corporate Trust Office any reports, notices and other communications, including any proxy soliciting material, received from the Company which are both (a) received by the Depositary, the Custodian, or a nominee of either as the holder of the Deposited Securities and (b) generally transmitted to the holders of such Deposited Securities by the Company. The Depositary will also, at the request of the Company, send to Owners of Receipts copies of reports, notices and communications furnished by the Company pursuant to the Deposit Agreement.

The Depositary will keep books, at its Corporate Trust Office, for the registration of Receipts and transfers of Receipts which at all reasonable times shall be open for inspection by the Owners of Receipts provided, however, that such inspection shall not be for the purpose of communicating with Owners of Receipts in the interest of a business or object other than the business of the Company or a matter related to the Deposit Agreement or the Receipts.

12.

DIVIDENDS AND DISTRIBUTIONS.

Whenever the Depositary or the Custodian receives any cash dividend or other cash distribution on any Deposited Securities, the Depositary will, or will cause its agent, as promptly as practicable after its receipt of such dividend or distribution (unless otherwise prohibited or prevented by law), if at the time of receipt thereof any amounts received in a foreign currency can in the judgment of the Depositary be converted on a reasonable basis into United States dollars transferable to the United States, and subject to the Deposit Agreement, convert such dividend or distribution into Dollars and will distribute the amount thus received (net of the fees and expenses of the Depositary as provided in Article 7 hereof and Section 5.09 of the Deposit Agreement) to the Owners of Receipts entitled thereto; provided, however, that in the event that the Company or an agent of the Company or the Depositary is required to withhold and does withhold from any cash dividend or other cash distribution in respect of any Deposited Securities an amount on account of taxes or other governmental charges, the amount distributed to the Owners of the Receipts evidencing American Depositary Shares representing such Deposited Securities shall be reduced accordingly.

Subject to the provisions of Sections 4.11 and 5.09 of the Deposit Agreement, whenever the Depositary receives any distribution other than a distribution described in Section 4.01, 4.03 or 4.04 of the Deposit Agreement, the Depositary will cause the securities or property received by it to be distributed to the Owners entitled thereto, as of the record date fixed pursuant to Section 4.06 of the Deposit Agreement, in proportion to the number of American Depositary Shares representing such Deposited Securities held by them respectively, in any manner that the Depositary may reasonably deem equitable and practicable for accomplishing such distribution; provided, however, that if in the opinion of the Depositary such distribution cannot be made proportionately among the Owners entitled thereto, or if for any other reason (including, but not limited to, any requirement that the Company or an agent of the Company or the Depositary withhold an amount on account of taxes or other governmental charges or that such securities must be registered under the Securities Act of 1933 in order to be distributed to Owners) the Depositary deems such distribution not to be feasible, the Depositary may adopt such method as it may reasonably deem equitable and practicable for the purpose of effecting such distribution, including, but not limited to, the public or private sale of the securities or property thus received, or any part thereof, and the net proceeds of any such sale (net of the fees and expenses of the Depositary as provided in Article 7 hereof and Section 5.09 of the Deposit Agreement and any expenses in connection with such sale) will be distributed by the Depositary to the Owners entitled thereto as in the case of a distribution in cash pursuant to Section 4.01 of the Deposit Agreement.

If any distribution upon any Deposited Securities consists of a dividend in, or free distribution of, Shares, the Depositary may, and shall if the Company shall so request, distribute, as promptly as practicable, to the Owners of outstanding Receipts entitled thereto, in proportion to the number of American Depositary Shares representing such Deposited Securities held by them respectively, additional Receipts evidencing an aggregate number of American Depositary Shares representing the amount of Shares received as such dividend or free distribution, subject to the terms and conditions of the Deposit Agreement with respect to the deposit of Shares and the issuance of American Depositary Shares evidenced by Receipts, including the withholding of any tax or other governmental charge as provided in Section 4.11 of the Deposit Agreement and the payment of the fees of the Depositary as provided in Article 7 hereof and Section 5.09 of the Deposit Agreement. In lieu of delivering Receipts for fractional American Depositary Shares in any such case, the Depositary will sell the amount of Shares represented by the aggregate of such fractions and distribute the net proceeds, all in the manner and subject to the conditions described in Section 4.01 of the Deposit Agreement. If additional Receipts are not so distributed, each American Depositary Share shall thenceforth also represent the additional Shares distributed upon the Deposited Securities represented thereby. In addition, the Depositary may withhold any distribution of Receipts under this Article 12 or Section 4.03 of the Deposit Agreement if it has not received satisfactory assurances from the Company that such distribution does not require registration under the Securities Act of 1933 or is exempt from registration under the provisions of such Act.

In the event that the Depositary determines that any distribution in property other than cash (including Shares and rights to subscribe therefor) is subject to any tax or other governmental charge which the Depositary is obligated to withhold, the Depositary may by public or private sale dispose of all or a portion of such property (including Shares and rights to subscribe therefor) in such amounts and in such manner as the Depositary deems necessary and practicable to pay any such taxes or charges, and the Depositary shall distribute the net proceeds of any such sale after deduction of such taxes or charges to the Owners of Receipts entitled thereto.

13.

RIGHTS.

In the event that the Company shall offer or cause to be offered to the holders of any Deposited Securities any rights to subscribe for additional Shares or any rights of any other nature, the Depositary, after consultation with the Company, shall have discretion as to the procedure to be followed in making such rights available to any Owners or in disposing of such rights on behalf of any Owners and making the net proceeds available to such Owners or, if by the terms of such rights offering or for any other reason the Depositary may not either make such rights available to any Owners or dispose of such rights and make the net proceeds available to such Owners, then the Depositary shall allow the rights to lapse. If at the time of the offering of any rights the Depositary determines that it is lawful and feasible to make such rights available to all or certain Owners but not to other Owners, the Depositary may, and at the request of the Company shall, distribute to any Owner to whom it determines the distribution to be lawful and feasible, in proportion to the number of American Depositary Shares held by such Owner, warrants or other instruments therefor in such form as it deems appropriate.

In circumstances in which rights would otherwise not be distributed, if an Owner requests the distribution of warrants or other instruments in order to exercise the rights allocable to the American Depositary Shares representing the Shares and evidenced by this Receipt of such Owner hereunder, the Depositary will promptly make such rights available to such Owner upon written notice from the Company to the Depositary that (a) the Company has elected in its sole discretion to permit such rights to be exercised and (b) such Owner has executed such documents as the Company has determined in its sole discretion are reasonably required under applicable law.

If the Depositary has distributed warrants or other instruments for rights to all or certain Owners, then upon instruction from such an Owner pursuant to such warrants or other instruments to the Depositary from such Owner to exercise such rights, upon payment by such Owner to the Depositary for the account of such Owner of an amount equal to the purchase price of the Shares to be received upon the exercise of the rights, and upon payment of the fees of the Depositary and any other charges as set forth in such warrants or other instruments, the Depositary shall, on behalf of such Owner, exercise the rights and purchase the Shares, and the Company shall cause the Shares so purchased to be delivered to the Depositary on behalf of such Owner. As agent for such Owner, the Depositary will cause the Shares so purchased to be deposited pursuant to Section 2.02 of the Deposit Agreement, and shall, pursuant to Section 2.03 of the Deposit Agreement, execute and deliver Receipts to such Owner. In the case of a distribution pursuant to the second paragraph of this Article 13, such Receipts shall be legended in accordance with applicable U.S. laws, and shall be subject to the appropriate restrictions on sale, deposit, cancellation, and transfer under such laws. In the event that any Shares deposited in accordance with this paragraph have rights in respect of any distribution of cash, securities, or other properties or Shares which are different from the rights of other Deposited Securities by reason of date of issuance or otherwise, any Receipts executed and delivered in respect of such Shares ("Rights Receipts") shall bear a CUSIP number that is different from any CUSIP number that is or may be assigned to any other Receipts issued under the Deposit Agreement and may be endorsed with such legend as the Depositary and the Company may agree. Rights Receipts shall be treated for all other purposes as identical to Receipts and on such date as they become entitled to the same rights in respect of distributions, they shall become fungible with, and be converted automatically into, Receipts. Until such date, the Depositary will instruct the Custodian to place any Deposited Securities in respect of which such Rights Receipts are issued into a segregated account separate from any other Shares held by the Custodian under the Deposit Agreement or any other depositary receipt facility relating to the Shares.

If the Depositary determines in its discretion that it is not lawful and feasible to make such rights available to all or certain Owners, it may, and at the request of the Company will use its best efforts that are reasonable under the circumstances to, sell the rights, warrants or other instruments in proportion to the number of American Depositary Shares held by the Owners to whom it has determined it may not lawfully or feasibly make such rights available; the Depositary will allocate the net proceeds of such sales (net of the fees and expenses of the Depositary as provided in Section 5.09 of the Deposit Agreement, any expenses in connection with such sale and all taxes and governmental charges payable in connection with such rights and subject to the terms and conditions of the Deposit Agreement) for the account of such Owners otherwise entitled to such rights, warrants or other instruments, upon an averaged or other practical basis without regard to any distinctions among such Owners because of exchange restrictions or the date of delivery of any Receipt or otherwise. Such proceeds will be distributed in accordance with Section 4.01 of the Deposit Agreement thereof.

If a registration statement under the Securities Act of 1933 is required with respect to any rights or the securities to which any rights relate in order for the Company to offer such rights to Owners and sell the securities represented by such rights, the Depositary will not offer such rights to Owners having an address in the United States (as defined in Regulation S) unless and until such a registration statement is in effect, or unless the offer and sale of such securities and such rights to such Owners are exempt from registration under the provisions of such Act.

The Depositary shall not be responsible for any failure to determine that it may be lawful or feasible to make such rights available to Owners in general or any Owner in particular.

14.

CONVERSION OF FOREIGN CURRENCY.

Whenever the Depositary shall receive Foreign Currency, by way of dividends or other distributions or the net proceeds from the sale of securities, property or rights, and if at the time of the receipt thereof the Foreign Currency so received can, pursuant to applicable law, be converted on a reasonable basis into Dollars and transferred to the United States, the Depositary shall convert or cause to be converted as promptly as practicable, by sale or in any other manner that it may determine, in accordance with applicable law, such Foreign Currency into Dollars. If, at the time of conversion of such Foreign Currency into Dollars, such Dollars can, pursuant to applicable law, be transferred outside of France for distribution to Owners entitled thereto, such Dollars shall be distributed as promptly as practicable to the Owners entitled thereto or, if the Depositary shall have distributed any rights, warrants or other instruments which entitle the holders thereof to such Dollars, then to the holders of such rights, warrants and/or instruments upon surrender thereof for cancellation. Such distribution or conversion may be made upon an averaged or other practicable basis without regard to any distinctions among Owners on account of exchange restrictions, the date of delivery of any Receipt or otherwise and shall be net of any expenses of conversion into Dollars incurred by the Depositary as provided in Section 5.09 of the Deposit Agreement.

If such conversion or distribution can be effected only with the approval or license of any government or agency thereof, the Depositary shall file as promptly as practicable such application for approval or license; provided, however, that the Depositary will be entitled to rely upon French local counsel in such matters, which counsel will be instructed to act as promptly as possible.

If at any time Foreign Currency received by the Depositary is not, pursuant to applicable law, convertible, in whole or in part, into Dollars transferable to the United States, or if any approval or license of any government or agency thereof which is required for such conversion is denied or in the opinion of the Depositary cannot be promptly obtained, the Depositary will, (a) as to that portion of the Foreign Currency that is convertible into Dollars, make such conversion and, if permitted by applicable law, transfer such Dollars to the United States for distribution to Owners in accordance with the first paragraph of Section 4.05 of the Deposit Agreement and (b) as to the nonconvertible balance, if any, (i) if requested in writing by an Owner, distribute or cause the Custodian to distribute the Foreign Currency (or an appropriate document evidencing the right to receive such Foreign Currency) received by the Depositary or Custodian to such Owner and (ii) the Depositary will hold or will cause the Custodian to hold any amounts of nonconvertible Foreign Currency not distributed pursuant to the immediate preceding subclause (i) uninvested and without liability for interest thereon for the respective accounts of the Owners entitled to receive the same.

15.

RECORD DATES.

Whenever any cash dividend or other cash distribution shall become payable or any distribution other than cash shall be made, or whenever rights shall be issued with respect to the Deposited Securities, or whenever for any reason the Depositary causes a change in the number of Shares that are represented by each American Depositary Share, or whenever the Depositary shall receive notice of any meeting of holders of Shares or other Deposited Securities, or whenever the Depositary finds it necessary or convenient in respect of any matter, the Depositary shall fix a record date, after consultation with the Company and, to the extent practicable, with prior written confirmation to the Company if such date is different from the record date established by the Company in respect of the Shares, (a) for the determination of the Owners who shall be (i) entitled to receive such dividend, distribution or rights, or the net proceeds of the sale thereof, or (ii) entitled to give instructions for the exercise of voting rights at any such meeting, or (b) for fixing the date on or after which each American Depositary Share will represent the changed number of Shares, subject to the terms and conditions of the Deposit Agreement.

16.

VOTING OF DEPOSITED SECURITIES.

Upon receipt of notice of any meeting of holders of Shares or other Deposited Securities, the Depositary shall, as soon as practicable thereafter, mail to the Owners (i) a copy or summary in English of the notice of such meeting sent by the Company to the Depositary pursuant to Section 5.06 of the Deposit Agreement, (ii) a statement that the Owners as of the close of business on a record date established by the Depositary pursuant to Section 4.06 of the Deposit Agreement will be entitled, subject to any applicable provisions of French law, the statuts of the Company and the Deposited Securities (which provisions, if any, including any applicable provisions relating to double voting rights, will be summarized in pertinent part in such statement), to instruct the Depositary as to the exercise of the voting rights, if any, pertaining to the Shares or other Deposited Securities represented by such Owner's American Depositary Shares, (iii) copies or summaries in English of any materials or other documents provided by the Company for the purpose of enabling such Owner to give voting instructions for the exercise of such voting rights and (iv) a voting instruction card to be prepared by the Depositary and the Company (a "Voting Instruction Card") and setting forth the date established by the Depositary for the receipt of such Voting Instruction Card (the "Receipt Date"). Voting instructions may be given only in respect of a number of American Depositary Shares representing an integral number of Shares. In addition, a precondition for exercising any voting rights with respect to any holders of American Depositary Shares who are not Owners of the Receipts evidencing such American Depositary Shares on the books of the Depositary is that such holders arrange for deposit in a blocked account established for such purpose of the relevant number of American Depositary Shares for a period to commence on a date to be fixed by the Depositary after consultation with the Company (which date will not be more than five days prior to the date of the shareholders' meeting) until the completion of such meeting (the "Blocked Period"). The Depositary will use its best efforts to implement and maintain procedures to allow for blocking of American Depositary Shares as contemplated by the preceding sentence.

Upon receipt by the Depositary from an Owner of American Depositary Shares of a properly completed Voting Instruction Card on or before the Receipt Date, the Depositary will either, in its discretion, (i) use reasonable efforts insofar as practical and permitted under any applicable provisions of French law and the statuts of the Company, to vote or cause to be voted the Shares represented by such American Depositary Shares in accordance with any non-discretionary instructions set forth in such Voting Instruction Card or (ii) forward such instructions to the Custodian and the Custodian will use reasonable efforts, insofar as practical and permitted under any applicable provisions of French law and the statuts of the Company, to vote or cause to be voted the Shares represented by such American Depositary Shares in accordance with any non-discretionary instructions set forth in such Voting Instruction Card. The Depositary will only vote, or cause to be voted, or attempt to exercise the right to vote that attaches to, Shares represented by American Depositary Shares in respect of which a Voting Instruction Card has been received. In the case of a Voting Instruction Card received in respect of any holder of American Depositary Shares who is not the Owner of the Receipt evidencing such American Depositary Shares on the books of the Depositary, the Depositary will not vote or cause to be voted the number of Shares represented by such American Depositary Shares unless the Depositary has received verification that such number of American Depositary Shares has been deposited in a blocked account for the Blocked Period. The Depositary (i) will not vote, or cause to be voted, or attempt to exercise the right to vote that attaches to, Shares represented by American Depositary Shares in respect of which the Voting Instruction Card is improperly completed or in respect of which (and to the extent) the voting instructions included in the Voting Instruction Card are illegible or unclear, and (ii) will, in the case where the Voting Instruction Card is properly completed except for voting instructions relating to any resolutions to be submitted to the shareholders' meeting that have been left blank, vote in favor of such resolutions.

Notwithstanding anything in the Deposit Agreement or this Receipt to the contrary, the Depositary and the Company may modify, amend or adopt additional voting procedures from time to time as they determine may be necessary or appropriate to comply with French or United States law or the statuts of the Company.

17.

CHANGES AFFECTING DEPOSITED SECURITIES.

In circumstances where the provisions of Section 4.03 of the Deposit Agreement do not apply, upon any change in nominal or par value, split-up, consolidation, or any other reclassification of Deposited Securities, or upon any recapitalization, reorganization, merger or consolidation, or sale of assets affecting the Company or to which it is a party, any securities which shall be received by the Depositary or a Custodian in exchange for or in conversion of or in respect of Deposited Securities shall be treated as new Deposited Securities under the Deposit Agreement, and American Depositary Shares shall thenceforth represent the new Deposited Securities so received in exchange or conversion, unless additional Receipts are delivered pursuant to the following sentence. In any such case the Depositary may, and will if the Company so requests, execute and deliver additional Receipts as in the case of a distribution in Shares, or call for the surrender of outstanding Receipts to be exchanged for new Receipts specifically describing such new Deposited Securities.

18.

LIABILITY OF THE COMPANY AND DEPOSITARY.

Neither the Depositary nor the Company nor any of their respective directors, employees, agents or controlling persons (as defined under the Securities Act of 1933) shall incur any liability to any Owner or Beneficial Owner, if by reason of any provision of any present or future law of the United States, The Republic of France or any other country, or of any other governmental or regulatory authority or stock exchange, or by reason of any provision, present or future, of the statuts of the Company, or by reason of any act of God or war or other circumstance beyond its control, the Depositary or the Company shall be prevented or forbidden from or be subject to any civil or criminal penalty on account of doing or performing any act or thing which by the terms of the Deposit Agreement it is provided shall be done or performed; nor shall the Depositary or the Company incur any liability to any Owner or Beneficial Owner by reason of any nonperformance or delay, caused as aforesaid, in the performance of any act or thing which by the terms of the Deposit Agreement it is provided shall or may be done or performed, or by reason of any exercise of, or failure to exercise, any discretion provided for in the Deposit Agreement or the statuts of the Company. Where, by the terms of a distribution pursuant to Sections 4.01, 4.02 or 4.03 of the Deposit Agreement, or an offering or distribution pursuant to Section 4.04 of the Deposit Agreement, or for any other reason, the Depositary is prevented or prohibited from making such distribution or offering available to Owners, and the Depositary is prevented or prohibited from disposing of such distribution or offering on behalf of such Owners and making the net proceeds available to such Owners, then the Depositary, after consultation with the Company, shall not make such distribution or offering, and shall allow any rights, if applicable, to lapse. Neither the Company nor the Depositary assumes any obligation or shall be subject to any liability under the Deposit Agreement to Owners or Beneficial Owners of Receipts, except that they agree to perform their obligations specifically set forth in the Deposit Agreement without negligence or bad faith. The Depositary shall not be subject to any liability with respect to the validity or worth of the Deposited Securities. Neither the Depositary nor the Company shall be under any obligation to appear in, prosecute or defend any action, suit, or other proceeding in respect of any Deposited Securities or in respect of the Receipts, which in its opinion may involve it in expense or liability, unless indemnity satisfactory to it against all expense and liability shall be furnished as often as may be required, and the Custodian shall not be under any obligation whatsoever with respect to such proceedings, the responsibility of the Custodian being solely to the Depositary. Neither the Depositary nor the Company shall be liable for any action or nonaction by it in reliance upon the advice of or information from legal counsel, accountants, any person presenting Shares for deposit, any Owner or Beneficial Owner of a Receipt, or any other person believed by it in good faith to be competent to give such advice or information. The Depositary shall not be responsible for any failure to carry out any instructions to vote any of the Deposited Securities, or for the manner in which any such vote is cast or the effect of any such vote, provided that any such action or nonaction is in good faith. The Depositary shall not be liable for any acts or omissions made by a successor depositary whether in connection with a previous act or omission of the Depositary or in connection with a matter arising wholly after the removal or resignation of the Depositary, provided that in connection with the issue out of which such potential liability arises, the Depositary performed its obligations without negligence or bad faith while it acted as Depositary.

The Company agrees to indemnify the Depositary, its directors, employees, agents and affiliates and any Custodian against, and hold each of them harmless from, any liability or expense (including, but not limited to, the fees and expenses of counsel) which may arise out of acts performed or omitted, in accordance with the provisions of the Deposit Agreement and of the Receipts, as the same may be amended, modified or supplemented from time to time, (i) by either the Depositary or a Custodian or their respective directors, employees, agents and affiliates, except for any liability or expense arising out of the negligence or bad faith of either of them, or (ii) by the Company or any of its directors, employees, agents and affiliates.

The Depositary agrees to indemnify the Company, its directors, employees, agents and affiliates and hold them harmless from any liability or expense which may arise out of acts performed or omitted by the Depositary or its Custodian or their respective directors, employees, agents and affiliates due to their negligence or bad faith.

The indemnities contained in the preceding paragraph shall not extend to any liability or expense which may arise out of any Pre-Release (as defined in Section 2.09 of the Deposit Agreement) but only to the extent that any such liability or expense arises in connection with (a) any United States Federal, state or local income tax laws, or (b) the failure of the Depositary to deliver Deposited Securities when required under the terms of Section 2.05 of the Deposit Agreement. However, the indemnities contained in the preceding paragraph shall apply to any liability or expense which may arise out of any misstatement or alleged misstatement or omission or alleged omission in any registration statement, proxy statement, prospectus (or placement memorandum), or preliminary prospectus (or preliminary placement memorandum) relating to the offer of sale of American Depositary Shares, except to the extent any such liability or expense arises out of (i) information relating to the Depositary or any Custodian (other than the Company), as applicable, furnished in writing and not materially changed or altered by the Company expressly for use in any of the foregoing documents, or, (ii) if such information is provided, the failure to state a material fact necessary to make the information provided not misleading.

No disclaimer of liability under the Securities Act of 1933 is intended by any provision of the Deposit Agreement.

19.

RESIGNATION AND REMOVAL OF THE DEPOSITARY; APPOINTMENT OF SUCCESSOR CUSTODIAN.

The Depositary may at any time resign as Depositary hereunder by written notice of its election so to do delivered to the Company, such resignation to take effect upon the appointment of a successor depositary and its acceptance of such appointment as provided in the Deposit Agreement. The Depositary may at any time be removed by the Company by written notice of such removal, effective upon the appointment of a successor depositary and its acceptance of such appointment as provided in the Deposit Agreement. Whenever the Depositary in its discretion determines that it is in the best interest of the Owners of Receipts to do so, it may appoint a substitute or additional custodian or custodians.

20.

AMENDMENT.

The form of the Receipts and any provisions of the Deposit Agreement may at any time and from time to time be amended by agreement between the Company and the Depositary without the consent of the Owners of ADRs in any respect which they may deem necessary or desirable. Any amendment which shall impose or increase any fees or charges (other than taxes and other governmental charges, charges incurred in connection with the conversion of Foreign Currency pursuant to Section 4.05 of the Deposit Agreement and in connection with compliance with foreign exchange regulations, registration fees and cable, telex or facsimile transmission costs, delivery costs or other such expenses), or which shall otherwise prejudice any substantial existing right of Owners of Receipts, shall, however, not become effective as to outstanding Receipts until the expiration of 30 days after notice of such amendment shall have been given to the Owners of outstanding Receipts. Every Owner of a Receipt at the time any amendment so becomes effective shall be deemed, by continuing to hold such Receipt, to consent and agree to such amendment and to be bound by the Deposit Agreement as amended thereby. In no event shall any amendment impair the right of the Owner of any Receipt to surrender such Receipt and receive therefor the Deposited Securities represented thereby except in order to comply with mandatory provisions of applicable law.

21.

TERMINATION OF DEPOSIT AGREEMENT.

The Depositary at any time at the direction of the Company, shall terminate the Deposit Agreement by mailing notice of such termination to the Owners of all Receipts then outstanding at least 30 days prior to the date fixed in such notice for such termination. The Depositary may likewise terminate the Deposit Agreement by mailing notice of such termination to the Company and the Owners of all Receipts then outstanding, such termination to be effective on a date specified in such notice not less than 30 days after the date thereof, if at any time 60 days shall have expired after the Depositary shall have delivered to the Company a written notice of its election to resign and a successor depositary shall not have been appointed and accepted its appointment as provided in the Deposit Agreement. On and after the date of termination, the Owner of a Receipt will, upon (a) surrender of such Receipt at the Corporate Trust Office of the Depositary, (b) payment of the fee of the Depositary for the surrender of Receipts referred to in Section 2.05 of the Deposit Agreement, and (c) payment of any applicable taxes or governmental charges, be entitled to delivery, to the Owner or upon the Owner's order, of the amount of Deposited Securities represented by the American Depositary Shares evidenced by such Receipt. If any Receipts shall remain outstanding after the date of termination, the Depositary thereafter shall discontinue the registration of transfers of Receipts, shall suspend the distribution of dividends to the Owners thereof, and shall not give any further notices or perform any further acts under the Deposit Agreement, except that the Depositary shall continue to collect dividends and other distributions pertaining to Deposited Securities, shall sell rights and other property as provided in the Deposit Agreement, and shall continue to deliver Deposited Securities, together with any dividends or other distributions received with respect thereto and the net proceeds of the sale of any rights or other property, in exchange for Receipts surrendered to the Depositary (after deducting, in each case, the fee of the Depositary for the surrender of a Receipt, any expenses for the account of the Owner of such Receipt in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Deposit Agreement, and any applicable taxes or governmental charges). At any time after the expiration of one year from the date of termination, the Depositary may sell the Deposited Securities then held under the Deposit Agreement and may thereafter hold uninvested the net proceeds of any such sale, together with any other cash then held by it thereunder, unsegregated and without liability for interest, for the pro rata benefit of the Owners of Receipts which have not theretofore been surrendered, such Owners thereupon becoming general creditors of the Depositary with respect to such net proceeds. After making such sale, the Depositary shall be discharged from all obligations under the Deposit Agreement, except to account for such net proceeds and other cash (after deducting, in each case, the fee of the Depositary for the surrender of a Receipt, any expenses for the account of the Owner of such Receipt in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Deposit Agreement, and any applicable taxes or governmental charges) and except as provided in Section 5.08 of the Deposit Agreement. Upon the termination of the Deposit Agreement, the Company shall be discharged from all obligations under the Deposit Agreement except for its obligations to the Depositary with respect to indemnification, charges, and expenses.

22.

DISCLOSURE OF INTERESTS

Notwithstanding any other provision of the Deposit Agreement, each Owner and Beneficial Owner agrees, to comply with the Company's statuts, as they may be amended from time to time, and the laws of The Republic of France with respect to the disclosure requirements regarding ownership of Shares, all as if the Receipts were the Shares represented thereby. As of the date of this Agreement, such disclosure requirements are summarized as follows:

Pursuant to the French law on the Security and Transparency of Financial Markets of August 2, 1989, any person or entity that becomes the owner, directly or indirectly, alone or in concert with other persons, of more than one-twentieth, one-tenth, one-fifth, one-third, one-half or two-thirds of the share capital or voting rights (or securities or voting rights representing Shares (which includes American Depositary Shares)), as discussed below in this Article 22, must so notify the Company by registered letter within 15 calendar days, and the Conseil des Bourses de Valeurs within five trading days, of the date such threshold has been crossed of the number of Shares it holds and the voting rights attached thereto. A holder of Shares is also required to notify the Company and the Conseil des Bourses de Valeurs if the percentage of Shares or voting rights owned by such holder falls below the levels described in the previous sentence. In order to permit holders of Shares or voting rights to give the notice required by law, the Company is obligated to file with the Bulletin des Annonces Légales Obligatoires ("BALO") and with the Conseil des Bourses de Valeurs within 15 calendar days of the Company's annual ordinary general meeting, information with respect to the total number of votes available as of the date of such meeting. In addition, if the number of available votes changes by 5% or more, the Company is required to publish in the BALO, and to file with the Conseil des Bourses de Valeurs within 15 calendar days of such change, a notification of the number of votes then available.

In the event that an Owner or Beneficial Owner fails to comply with the requirements set forth in the preceding paragraph, such Owner or Beneficial Owner shall not be permitted to exercise voting rights with respect to any Shares or securities representing Shares exceeding the above-referenced thresholds as to which any required disclosure (as set forth in the preceding paragraph) has not been made until the end of a two-year period following the date on which such Owner or Beneficial Owner has complied with such disclosure requirement. In addition, a French court may, under certain circumstances, eliminate all or part of the voting rights of such Owner or Beneficial Owner for a period not to exceed five years, and such Owner or Beneficial Owner may be subject to criminal penalties.

The above provisions relating to Shares or voting rights held by a person or an entity also apply to (i) Shares or voting rights held by another person or entity on behalf of such person or entity, (ii) Shares or voting rights held by any company which is directly or indirectly controlled by such person or entity, (iii) Shares or voting rights held by a third party acting in concert with such person or entity or (iv) Shares or voting rights that such person or entity, or any person or entity referred to in (i), (ii) or (iii) above, is entitled to acquire at its sole option by virtue of an agreement.

In addition, pursuant to the Company's statuts, any person or entity, acting alone or in concert with other shareholders, that becomes the owner of Shares or voting rights (or securities representing Shares (which include American Depositary Shares)), equal to or greater than 0.5% of the total of the Company's share capital or voting rights must notify the Company of the number of Shares or voting rights held by it no later than five (5) trading days after exceeding such amount. Notification is also required each time an Owner's or Beneficial Owner's shareholding exceeds an additional 0.5% of the Company's share capital or voting rights, or falls below any of the aforementioned thresholds, within five (5) trading days of such acquisition or disposition. Notification shall be made by registered letter, with acknowledgment of receipt.

In the event that an Owner or Beneficial Owner fails to comply with the requirements of the Company's statuts set forth in the preceding paragraph, upon request (at a meeting of shareholders) of a holder or holders of 1% or more of the share capital of the Company, the Shares in excess of the relevant threshold shall be deprived of voting rights, in accordance with and subject to the limitations provided under French law from time to time, until the end of a two-year period following the date on which the Owner or Beneficial Owner thereof has complied with such disclosure requirements.

The Depositary agrees to comply with all of the obligations of Owners and Beneficial Owners set forth in this Article 22; provided, that the obligations of the Depositary shall be limited to disclosure of such information relating to the Shares in question as has in each case been recorded by it pursuant to the terms of the Deposit Agreement, subject to mandatory provisions of French law.

The Depositary agrees to furnish to the Company upon request a list of the names, addresses and holdings of American Depositary Shares by all persons in whose names Receipts are registered on the books of the Depositary maintained for such purpose, in accordance with this paragraph and Section 4.10 of the Deposit Agreement.