The year 2010 ended with a total of 700 registered SE companies. 42 SEs have been added to the database since the previous update (November, 2010). The ECDB (SE Factsheets) also provides information on 15 planned SEs. However, the number of UFO companies increased the most, due to activation of shelf companies in the Czech Republic and Germany. Only three new companies were added to the ‘normal’ category. The number of ‘normal’ companies is currently 169.

Two recently established ‘normal’ SEs were registered in Germany (former ‘planned’ companies, Aixtron SE and Berner SE), both formed by conversion and retaining their two-tier systems.The Acon Group SE was formed by a subsidiary (the SE probably has a close link to Navigator Equity Solutions SE) in the Netherlands. The exact date of the Acon Group SE’s registration is not known.

As regards employee involvement in these companies, little is known so far. The supervisory boards of Aixtron SE and Berner SE consist of nine members each, with no employee representatives. More information will be available on the new ‘normal’ SEs in the coming months.

To summarise the current numbers (November 2010 figures in brackets), there are 700 (658) established SEs, of which:

• 169 (166) normal;
• 84 (83) empty;
• 378 (344) UFO;
• 69 (65) shelf.