Edgar Filing: VEOLIA ENVIRONNEMENT

Rule 424(b)(3)

File No. 333-13972

OVERSTAMP: The obligation of Veolia Environnement (the “Company”) to file periodic reports under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), has been suspended by the filing of a Form 15F on December 23, 2014. Upon effectiveness of the termination of the Company’s reporting requirements under the Exchange Act, the Company will publish information in English required to maintain the exemption from registration under Rule 12g3-2(b) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, on its Internet web site or through an electronic information delivery system generally available to the public in its primary trading market. The Company’s Internet web site address is www.veolia.com.

EXHIBIT A TO DEPOSIT AGREEMENT

No.

________________________________

AMERICAN DEPOSITARY SHARES

(Each American Depositary Share represents one (1) deposited Share)

THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON

AMERICAN DEPOSITARY RECEIPT

FOR ORDINARY SHARES OF

THE NOMINAL 13.50 EURO EACH OF

VEOLIA ENVIRONNEMENT

(INCORPORATED UNDER THE LAWS OF THE REPUBLIC OF FRANCE)

The Bank of New York Mellon, 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 Veolia Environnement, incorporated under the laws of The Republic of France (herein called the "Company"). At the date hereof, each American Depositary Share represents one Share deposited or subject to deposit under the Deposit Agreement (as such term is hereinafter defined) at the Paris, France office of each of BNP Paribas Securities Services and CACEIS Bank, and the principal Nantes, France office of Société Générale (herein called the "Custodians"). 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 Amended and Restate Deposit Agreement dated as of June 12, 2009 (herein called the "Deposit Agreement") among the Company, the Depositary, and all Owners and Beneficial Owners from time to time of American Depositary Shares issued thereunder, each of whom by accepting American Depositary Shares 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 Custodians.

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, and upon payment of the fee of the Depositary provided in this Receipt, and subject to the terms and conditions of the Deposit Agreement 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 the Foreign Registrar in the case of Shares in registered form, or maintained an accredited financial institution in the case of Shares in bearer form of the amount of the Deposited Securities at the time evidenced by such Receipt. Such transfers will be made without unreasonable delay. A Receipt surrendered for such purposes may be required by the Depositary to be properly endorsed in blank or accompanied by proper instruments of transfer in blank, the Owner shall execute and deliver to the Depositary a written order directing the Depositary to cause the Deposited Securities being withdrawn to be transferred to an account maintained by the Company or the Foreign Registrar, in the name of such Owner or such name as shall be designated by such Owner in the case of Shares in registered form, or maintained by an accredited financial institution in the case of Shares in bearer form.

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 by the Owner hereof in person or by a duly authorized attorney, upon surrender of this Receipt properly endorsed for transfer or accompanied by proper instruments of transfer and 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, and duly stamped as may be required by the laws of the State of New York and of the United States of America. 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 or withdrawal of any Deposited Securities, the Depositary, the Custodian, or Registrar may require payment from the depositor of the Shares or the presentor of the Receipt of a sum sufficient to reimburse it for any tax or other governmental charges and any stock transfer or registration fee with respect thereto (including any such tax or charge and fee with respect to Shares being deposited or withdrawn) and payment of any applicable fees 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 deposits 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 Depositary are closed, or if any such action is deemed necessary or advisable by the Depositary of 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 the Statuts of the Company or this Receipt, or for any other reason, subject to the provisions of the following sentence. 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 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 shall comply with written instructions from the Company requesting that the Depositary not accept for deposit hereunder any Shares or rights reasonably identified in such instructions in order to facilitate the Company's compliance with U.S. securities laws or the laws of any state of the United States or the laws of The Republic of France.

LIABILITY OF OWNER OR BENEFICIAL OWNER FOR TAXES.

If any tax or other governmental charges shall become payable with respect to any Receipt or any Deposited Securities represented hereby, such tax or other governmental charges shall be payable by the Owner or Beneficial 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 or Beneficial 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 charges and the Owner or Beneficial Owner hereof shall remain liable for any deficiency.

In the event that the Depositary determines that any distribution in property (including Shares and rights to subscribe therefor) is subject to any tax or other governmental charges 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 such taxes or other governmental charges and the Depositary shall distribute the net proceeds of any such sale after deduction of such tax or other governmental charges to the Owners entitled thereto in proportion to the number of American Depositary Shares held by them respectively.

The Depositary agrees to use reasonable efforts to follow the procedures established by the French Treasury to enable eligible U.S. resident Beneficial Owners to recover any excess French withholding taxes initially withheld or deducted with respect to dividends and other distributions of the Company to such Beneficial Owners, and to receive any payment in respect to any tax credit for which such Beneficial Owner may be eligible from the French Treasury. To effect such recovery and receipt, the Depositary shall provide U.S. resident Owners, and any other holders, upon request, with the appropriate French tax forms and instructions for completing such forms, which shall be provided by the Company to the Depositary, and shall advise such U.S. resident Owners to return such forms to it properly completed and executed. Upon receipt of such forms properly completed and executed by U.S. resident Owners, the Depositary shall promptly cause them to be filed with the appropriate French tax authorities, and upon receipt of any resulting remittance, the Depositary shall distribute to the Owners entitled thereto the proceeds thereof in Dollars in accordance with Section 4.05.

WARRANTIES ON DEPOSIT OF SHARES.

Every person depositing Shares hereunder and under the Deposit Agreement shall be deemed thereby to represent and warrant that such Shares and each certificate therefor are validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable and not issued in violation of pre-emptive or similar rights of holders of outstanding Shares and that the person making such deposit is duly authorized so to do. Every such person shall also be deemed to represent that the deposit of such Shares and the sale of Receipts evidencing American Depositary Shares representing such Shares by that person are not restricted under the Securities Act of 1933 or under the laws of The Republic of France. 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 or Beneficial Owner of a Receipt may be required from time to time to file with the Depositary or the Custodians such proof of citizenship or residence, exchange control approval, payment of applicable French or other taxes or governmental charges or legal or beneficial ownership or such information relating to the registration on the books of the Company or the Foreign Registrar, 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 Share 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 France which is then performing the function of the regulation of currency exchange or which has jurisdiction over foreign investment or regulates foreign ownership of French companies.

CHARGES OF DEPOSITARY.

The Company agrees to pay the fees, reasonable expenses and out-of-pocket charges 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 its statement for such charges and expenses to the Company once every three months. The charges and expenses of the Custodian are for the sole account of the Depositary.

The following charges 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), or by Owners, as 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 Foreign Registrar and applicable to transfers of Shares to or from the name of the Depositary or its nominee or the Custodian or its nominee on the making of deposits or withdrawals hereunder, (3) such cable, telex and facsimile transmission expenses as are expressly provided in this 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 of $5.00 or less per 100 American Depositary Shares (or portion thereof) for the execution and delivery of Receipts pursuant to Section 2.03, 4.03 or 4.04 of the Deposit Agreement and the surrender of Receipts pursuant to Section 2.05 or 6.02 of the Deposit Agreement, (6) a fee of $.02 or less per American Depositary Share (or portion thereof) for any cash distribution made pursuant to the Deposit Agreement, including, but not limited to Sections 4.01 through 4.04 thereof, (7) 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 7 treating all such securities as if they were Shares) but which securities are instead distributed by the Depositary to Owners and (8) any other charge payable by the Depositary, any of the Depositary's agents, including the Custodian, or the agents of the Depositary's agents in connection with the servicing of Shares or other Deposited Securities (which charge shall be assessed against Owners as of the date or dates set by the Depositary in accordance with Section 4.06 of the Deposit Agreement and shall be payable at the sole discretion of the Depositary by billing such Owners for such charge or by deducting such charge from one or more cash dividends or other cash distributions).

The Depositary, subject to Article 8 hereof and Section 2.09 of the Deposit Agreement, may own and deal in any class of securities of the Company and its affiliates and in Receipts.

PRE-RELEASE OF RECEIPTS.

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 that Agreement (a “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 or Shares are to be delivered (the “Pre-Releasee”), that such person, or its customer, (i) owns the Shares or Receipts to be remitted, as the case may be, (ii) transfers 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 Beneficial 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 ownership (including, without the consent of the Depositary, disposing of 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 which are not deposited but represented by American Depositary Receipts outstanding at any time as a result of Pre-Release will not normally exceed thirty percent (30%) of the Shares deposited hereunder; provided, however, that the Depositary reserves the right to change or disregard such limit from time to time as it deems reasonably appropriate. The Depositary also will 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 Beneficial Owners under the 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 obligation to deliver Shares or American Depositary Receipts upon termination of a Pre-Release transaction (and shall not, for the avoidance of doubt, constitute Deposited Securities).

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 when properly endorsed or accompanied by proper instruments of transfer, is transferable by delivery with the same effect as in the case of a negotiable instrument under the laws of the State of New York; provided, however, that the Depositary, 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.

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 or facsimile signature of a duly authorized signatory of the Depositary; and if a Registrar for the Receipts shall have been appointed, countersigned by the manual or facsimile 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 Securities and Exchange Commission (hereinafter called the “Commission”).

Such reports and communications will be available for inspection and copying by Owners and Beneficial Owners at the public reference facilities maintained by the Commission located at 450 Fifth Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20549.

The Depositary will make available for inspection by Owners of Receipts at its Corporate Trust Office any reports and communications, including any proxy soliciting material, received from the Company which are both (a) received by the Depositary as the holder of the Deposited Securities and (b) made generally available to the holders of such Deposited Securities by the Company. The Depositary will also send to Owners of Receipts copies of such reports when furnished by the Company pursuant to the Deposit Agreement. Any such reports and communications, including any such proxy soliciting material, furnished to the Depositary by the Company shall be furnished in English to the extent such materials are required to be translated into English pursuant to any regulations of the Commission.

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 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 receives any cash dividend or other cash distribution on any Deposited Securities, the Depositary will, 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 of the Depositary as provided in Article 7 hereof and Section 5.09 of the Deposit Agreement, if applicable) to the Owners of Receipts entitled thereto, in proportion to the number of American Depositary Shares representing such Deposited Securities held by them respectively; provided, however, that in the event that 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 evindencing American Depositary Shares representing such Deposited Securities shall be reduced accordingly.

Subject to the provisions of Section 4.11 and 5.09 of the Deposit Agreement, whenever the Depositary receives any distribution other than a distribution described in Sections 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, in any manner that the Depositary may 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 of Receipts entitled thereto, or if for any other reason the Depositary deems such distribution not to be feasible, the Depositary may adopt such method as it may 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 of the Depositary as provided in Article 7 hereof and Section 5.09 of the Deposit Agreement) will be distributed by the Depositary to the Owners of Receipts entitled thereto as in the case of a distribution received in cash.

If any distribution consists of a dividend in, or free distribution of, Shares, the Depositary may distribute to the Owners of outstanding Receipts entitled thereto, 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 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 (except by reason of and in accordance with the immediately preceding sentence), each American Depositary Share will thenceforth also represent the additional Shares distributed upon the Deposited Securities represented thereby.

In the event that the Depositary determines that any distribution in property (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 will 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 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 in its discretion that it is lawful and feasible to make such rights available to all or certain Owners but not to other Owners, the Depositary may 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 of Receipts requests the distribution of warrants or other instruments in order to exercise the rights allocable to the American Depositary Shares of such Owner hereunder, the Depositary will 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 Owners 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. 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.

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 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, and allocate the net proceeds of such sales (net of the fees of the Depositary as provided in Section 5.09 of the Deposit Agreement 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.

The Depositary will not distribute rights to Owners unless both the rights and the securities to which such rights relate are either exempt from registration under the Securities Act of 1933 or are registered under the provisions of such Act; provided, that nothing in this Deposit Agreement shall create, any obligation on the part of the Company to file a registration statement with respect to such rights or underlying securities or to endeavor to have such a registration statement declared effective. If an Owner of Receipts requests the distribution of rights, notwithstanding that there has been no such registration under such Act, the Depositary shall not effect such distribution unless it has received an opinion from recognized counsel in the United States for the Company upon which the Depositary may rely that such distribution to such Owner is exempt from such registration.

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 in the judgment of the Depositary be converted on a reasonable basis into Dollars and the resulting Dollars transferred to the United States, the Depositary shall convert or cause to be converted, by sale or in any other manner that it may determine, such foreign currency into Dollars, and such Dollars shall be distributed to the Owners entitled thereto or, if the Depositary shall have distributed any warrants or other instruments which entitle the holders thereof to such Dollars, then to the holders of such warrants and/or instruments upon surrender thereof for cancellation. Such distribution 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 such application for approval or license, if any, as it may deem desirable; provided, however, that the Company shall not be obligated to make any such filing.

If at any time the Depositary shall determine that in its judgment any foreign currency received by the Depositary is not convertible on a reasonable basis 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 is not obtainable, of if any such approval or license is not obtained within a reasonable period as determined by the Depositary, the Depositary may distribute the foreign currency (or an appropriate document evidencing the right to receive such foreign currency) received by the Depositary to, or in its discretion may hold such foreign currency uninvested and without liability for interest thereon for the respective accounts of, the Owners entitled to receive the same.

If any such conversion of foreign currency, in whole or in part, cannot be effected for distribution to some of the Owners entitled thereto, the Depositary may in its discretion make such conversion and distribution in Dollars to the extent permissible to the Owners entitled thereto and may distribute the balance of the foreign currency received by the Depositary to, or hold such balance uninvested and without liability for interest thereon for the respective accounts of, the Owners entitled thereto.

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 shall find it necessary or convenient, the Depositary shall fix a record date, which shall be the same date fixed by the Company to the extent practicable, or as close thereto as practicable, (a) for the determination of the Owners of Receipts 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) on or after which each American Depositary Share will represent the changed number of Shares, subject to the provisions of the Deposit Agreement.

16.

VOTING OF DEPOSITED SECURITIES.

Upon receipt of notice of any meeting of holders of Shares or other Deposited Securities, if requested in writing by the Company, the Depositary shall mail to the Owners (a) a summary in English or an English version of the notice of such meeting sent by the Company to the Depositary pursuant to Section 5.06, (b) 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, shall be summarized in pertinent part in such statement), to exercise the voting rights (subject to the restrictions detailed below), if any, pertaining to the Shares or other Deposited Securities represented by such Owner's American Depositary Shares, (c) summaries in English of any materials or other documents provided by the Company for the purpose of enabling such Owner to exercise such voting rights, by means of voting by mail (formulaire de vote par correspondance) or by proxy (procuration en blanc) or otherwise, (d) a voting instruction card (which may include a formulaire de vote par correspondance or procuration (when applicable) and all other information, authorizations and certifications required under French law to vote Shares in registered form and Shares in bearer form) to be prepared by the Depositary and the Company (a "Voting Instruction Card") (including a statement as to the manner in which Shares with respect to which the Depositary receives an incomplete Voting Instruction Card will be voted) and setting forth the date established by the Depositary for the receipt of such Voting Instruction Card (the "Receipt Date") and (e) a statement that, if it does not receive an instruction, the Depositary may deem the Owner to have instructed it to give a general proxy (procuration en blanc) to vote those Shares or other Deposited Securities.

Upon receipt by the Depositary from the Owner of a Receipt of a properly completed Voting Instruction Card on or before the Receipt Date, the Depositary agrees with the relevant Owner that the Depositary shall either, in its discretion, endeavor to vote such Deposited Securities, insofar as practicable and permitted under any applicable provisions of French law, the Statuts of the Company and the Deposited Securities, in accordance with the Voting Instruction Card or forward such instructions to the Custodian, and the Custodian shall endeavor, insofar as practicable and permitted under any applicable provisions of French law, the Statuts of the Company and the Deposited Securities, to vote or cause to be voted the Deposited Securities in accordance with any nondiscretionary instructions set forth in the Voting Instruction Card. The Depositary shall not, and shall insure that the Custodian will not, vote or attempt to exercise the right to vote that attaches to the Shares or other Deposited Securities other than in accordance with such instructions.

The Depositary will take no action to impair the ability of the Custodian to vote the number of Shares necessary to carry out the instructions of all Owners under this Section. The Company will provide all reasonable information and documents required by the Depositary to ensure that the Depositary is able to carry out its duties under Section 4.07 of the Deposit Agreement.

If (i) the Depositary has solicited voting instructions from Owners under this Section 4.07 of the Deposit Agreement and the Company gave the Depositary notice of the meeting and details of the matters to be voted upon not less than 30 days prior to the meeting date and (ii) the Depositary does not receive instructions from an Owner with respect to Deposited Securities represented by the American Depositary Shares evidenced by such Owner’s Receipts on or before the Receipt Date, the Depositary agrees with the relevant Owner that the Depositary shall, and the Owner shall be deemed to have instructed the Depositary to, give a general proxy (procuration en blanc) with respect to that amount of Deposited Securities and the Depositary shall give a general proxy (procuration en blanc) to vote that amount of Deposited Securities.

There can be no assurance that Owners generally or any Owner in particular will receive the notice described above with sufficient time to enable such Owner to return any voting instructions to the Depositary in a timely manner.

Notwithstanding anything in Section 4.07 of the Deposit Agreement, the Company agrees to comply with all applicable New York Stock Exchange Rules relating to voting, including without limitation Rule 402.04 of the New York Stock Exchange Listed Company Manual.

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 value, change in 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, in addition to the existing Deposited Securities, the right to receive 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 execute and deliver additional Receipts as in the case of a dividend 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 affiliates shall incur any liability to any Owner or Beneficial Owner of any Receipt, if by reason of any provision of any present or future law or regulation of the United States or any other country, or of any other governmental or regulatory authority, or by reason of any provision, present or future, of the Statuts of the Company, or the Deposited Securities, or by reason of any act of God or war or other circumstances beyond its control, the Depositary or the Company shall be prevented or forbidden from or delayed in 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 nor any of their respective directors, employees, agents or affiliates incur any liability to any Owner or Beneficial Owner of a Receipt (i) by reason of any nonperformance or delay, caused as aforesaid, in the performance of any act or thing which by the terms of this Deposit Agreement it is provided shall or may be done or performed, (ii) by reason of any exercise of, or failure to exercise, any discretion provided for in this Deposit Agreement, (iii) for the inability of any Owner or holder to benefit from any distribution, offering, right or other benefit which is made available to holders of Deposited Securities but is not, under the terms of this Deposit Agreement, made available to Owners or holders, or (iv) for any special, consequential or punitive damages for any breach of the terms of the Deposit Agreement. 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, such distribution or offering may not be made available to Owners of Receipts, and the Depositary may not dispose of such distribution or offering on behalf of such Owners and make the net proceeds available to such Owners, then the Depositary shall not make such distribution or offering, and shall allow any rights, if applicable, to lapse. Neither the Company nor the Depositary nor any of their respective directors, employees, agents and affiliates 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 nor any of their respective directors, employees, agents and affiliates 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 their respective opinion may involve it in expense or liability, unless indemnity satisfactory to it against all expenses and liability shall be furnished as often as may be required, and the Custodians shall not be under any obligation whatsoever with respect to such proceedings, the responsibility of the Custodians being solely to the Depositary. Neither the Depositary nor the Company nor any of their respective directors, employees, agents and affiliates shall be liable for any action or nonaction by any of them 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 any of them in good faith to be competent to give such advice or information. Each of the Depositary, the Company and their respective directors, employees, agents and affiliates may rely and shall be protected in action upon any written notice, request, direction or other document believed by such person to be genuine and to have been signed or presented by the proper party or parties. 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.

No disclaimer of liability under the Securities Act of 1933 is intended by any provisions 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 30 days prior written notice of such removal, to become effective upon the later of (i) the 30^th day after delivery of the notice to the Depositary or (ii) 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 which shall be an accredited intermediary acting through a specified office located in The Republic of France.

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 Owners or Beneficial Owners of American Depositary Receipts 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, 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 thirty 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 calendar 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 if at any time 90 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 him or upon his 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). 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 which shall survive termination of the Deposit Agreement.

22.

INFORMATION REQUESTS; DISCLOSURE OF INTEREST.

The Company may from time to time request Owners of Receipts to provide information as to the capacity in which such Owners own or owned Receipts and regarding the identity of any other persons then or previously interested in such Receipts as to the nature of such interest and various other matters. The Depositary agrees to use reasonable efforts to comply with written instructions received from the Company requesting that the Depositary forward any such requests to the Owner and to forward to the Company any responses to such requests received by the Depositary.

23.

SUBMISSION TO JURISDICTION; APPOINTMENT OF AGENT FOR SERVICE OF PROCESS.

The Company hereby (i) irrevocably designates and appoints CT Corporation, 111 Eighth Avenue, New York, New York 10011, in the State of New York, as the Company’s authorized agent upon which process may be served in any suit or proceeding arising out of or relating to the Shares or Deposited Securities, the American Depositary Shares, the Receipts or this Agreement, (ii) consents and submits to the jurisdiction of any state or federal court in the State of New York in which any such suit or proceeding may be instituted, and (iii) agrees that service of process upon said authorized agent shall be deemed in every respect effective service of process upon the Company in any such suit or proceeding. The Company agrees to deliver, upon the execution and delivery of this Deposit Agreement, a written acceptance by such agent of its appointment as such agent. The Company further agrees to take any and all action, including the filing of any and all such documents and instruments, as may be necessary to continue such designation and appointment in full force and effect for so long as any American Depositary Shares or Receipts remain outstanding or this Agreement remains in force. In the event the Company fails to continue such designation and appointment in full force and effect, the Company hereby waives personal service of process upon it and consents that any such service of process may be made by certified or registered mail, return receipt requested, directed to the Company at its address last specified for notices hereunder, and service so made shall be deemed completed five (5) days after the same shall have been so mailed.

24.

DISCLOSURE OF INTEREST.

The Company and the Depositary may from time to time request Owners to provide information as to the capacity in which they hold Receipts and regarding the identity of any other persons then interested in such Receipts and various other matters. The Depositary agrees to comply with reasonable written instructions received from the Company requesting that the Depositary forward any such requests to such Owners and to forward to the Company any responses to such requests received by the Depositary, and to use its reasonable efforts, at the Company’s request, to assist the Company in obtaining such information with respect to the American Depositary Shares, provided that nothing herein shall be interpreted as obligating the Depositary to provide or obtain any such information not provided to the Depositary by such Owners.

Notwithstanding any other provisions of this Deposit Agreement, each Owner and Beneficial Owner of Receipts 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, if applicable, with respect to the disclosure requirements regarding ownership of Shares, all as if such Receipts were, for this purpose, the Shares represented thereby.

25.

UNCERTIFICATED AMERICAN DEPOSITARY SHARES; DIRECT REGISTRATION SYSTEM.

Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in the Deposit Agreement:

(a) American Depositary Shares may be certificated securities evidenced by Receipts or uncertificated securities. The form of Receipt annexed as Exhibit A to the Deposit Agreement describes the terms and conditions of, and will be the prospectus required under the Securities Act of 1933 for, both certificated and uncertificated American Depositary Shares. Except for those provisions of the Deposit Agreement that by their nature do not apply to uncertificated American Depositary Shares, all the provisions of the Deposit Agreement shall apply, mutatis mutandis, to uncertificated American Depositary Shares as well as to certificated American Depositary Shares, and to Owners and holders of uncertificated American Depositary Shares as well as to Owners and holders of Receipts.

(b) (i) The term “deliver”, or its noun form, when used with respect to Receipts, shall mean (A) book-entry transfer of American Depositary Shares to an account at The Depository Trust Company, or its successor (“DTC”), designated by the person entitled to such delivery, (B) registration of American Depositary Shares not evidenced by a Receipt on the books of the Depositary in the name requested by the person entitled to such delivery and mailing to that person of a statement confirming that registration or (C) if requested by the person entitled to such delivery, delivery at the Corporate Trust Office of the Depositary to the person entitled to such delivery of one or more Receipts evidencing American Depositary Shares registered in the name requested by that person.

(ii) The term “surrender”, when used with respect to Receipts, shall mean (A) one or more book-entry transfers of American Depositary Shares to the DTC account of the Depositary, (B) delivery to the Depositary at its Corporate Trust Office of an instruction to surrender American Depositary Shares not evidenced by a Receipt or (C) surrender to the Depositary at its Corporate Trust Office of one or more Receipts evidencing American Depositary Shares.

(c) American Depositary Shares not evidenced by Receipts shall be transferable as uncertificated registered securities under the laws of the State of New York.

(d) The Depositary shall have a duty to register a transfer in the case of uncertificated American Depositary Shares, upon receipt from the Owner of a proper instruction (including, for the avoidance of doubt, instructions through DRS and Profile as provided in subsection (f) below). The Depositary, upon surrender of a Receipt for the purpose of exchanging for uncertificated American Depositary Shares, shall cancel that Receipt and send the Owner a statement confirming that the Owner is the owner of the same number of uncertificated American Depositary Shares that the surrendered Receipt evidenced. The Depositary, upon receipt of a proper instruction (including, for the avoidance of doubt, instructions through DRS and Profile as provided in subsection (f) below) from the Owner of uncertificated American Depositary Shares for the purpose of exchanging for certificated American Depositary Shares, shall execute and deliver to the Owner a Receipt evidencing the same number of certificated American Depositary Shares.

(e) Upon satisfaction of the conditions for replacement of a Receipt that is mutilated, lost, destroyed or stolen, the Depositary shall deliver to the Owner the American Depositary Shares evidenced by that Receipt in uncertificated form unless otherwise requested by the Owner.

(f) (i) The parties acknowledge that the Direct Registration System (“DRS”) and Profile Modification System (“Profile”) shall apply to uncertificated American Depositary Shares upon acceptance thereof to DRS by DTC. DRS is the system administered by DTC pursuant to which the Depositary may register the ownership of uncertificated American Depositary Shares, which ownership shall be evidenced by periodic statements issued by the Depositary to the Owners entitled thereto. Profile is a required feature of DRS which allows a DTC participant, claiming to act on behalf of an Owner of American Depositary Shares, to direct the Depositary to register a transfer of those American Depositary Shares to DTC or its nominee and to deliver those American Depositary Shares to the DTC account of that DTC participant without receipt by the Depositary of prior authorization from the Owner to register such transfer.

(ii) In connection with and in accordance with the arrangements and procedures relating to DRS/Profile, the parties understand that the Depositary will not verify, determine or otherwise ascertain that the DTC participant which is claiming to be acting on behalf of an Owner in requesting a registration of transfer and delivery as described in clause (i) above has the actual authority to act on behalf of the Owner (notwithstanding any requirements under the Uniform Commercial Code). For the avoidance of doubt, the provisions of Sections 5.03 and 5.08 of the Deposit Agreement shall apply to the matters arising from the use of the DRS. The parties agree that the Depositary’s reliance on and compliance with instructions received by the Depositary through the DRS/Profile System and in accordance with the Deposit Agreement shall not constitute negligence or bad faith on the part of the Depositary.