On 3rd April 2020, IoD Ireland wrote to the Department for Business, Enterprise, and Innovation, and the Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement (ODCE), calling for a recognition of, and resolution to, the difficulties which many businesses and directors were facing during the COVID-19 crisis when trying to comply with the Company Law requirements regarding the holding of AGMs.
In its letters, the IoD also recommended that the Ministerial regulations required to make these changes should be applicable for what it termed, “the current period of uncertainty during the COVID-19 crisis”.
On 30th July 2020, IoD Ireland welcomed the passage of the Companies (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Covid-19) Bill 2020 addressing the many issues facing companies trying to comply with, in particular, the Company Law requirement to hold AGMs during the current crisis, as detailed in Section 6 of the Bill. The Bill was subsequently signed into law by President Michael D. Higgins as Companies (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Covid-19) Act 2020.