Investors in European markets should enjoy a set of common basic rights, says the Association of Private Client Investment Managers and Stockbrokers, which merged earlier this year with the European Association of Securities Dealers. Last week, the group proposed a list of nine minimum rights that shareholders in all European markets should enjoy. They include the right to be consulted on takeover defences and voting rights proportionate to the financial state owned. Angela Knight, chief executive, says: "This report provides new and detailed information on how national laws treat shareholders across Europe and proposes a way forward." The bill of rights follows a four-year comparative study into shareholders' rights in 17 European markets and the report shows the extent to which individual markets give weight to each of the nine core shareholder rights.

IoD pay guide published