Document:

Exhibit

Exhibit 10.1

CONSULTING AGREEMENT

THIS AGREEMENT is effective on the 2nd day July, 2020, between WEC ENERGY GROUP, on behalf of itself and its subsidiaries (collectively, the "Company"), and FREDERICK D. KUESTER (the "Consultant").

The Consultant is voluntarily retiring from the employment of the Company as of the close of business on July 1, 2020 (the "Final Retirement Date"). The Consultant has significant experience in the utility industry and considerable knowledge of various aspects of the Company's business, including, among others, the Company’s generating and distributions systems, execution of major capital projects, and enterprise risk management. As a result, the Company wishes to obtain the benefits of a consulting agreement ("Agreement") with the Consultant and the Consultant is willing to enter into this Agreement and provide consulting services in accordance with the terms below:

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the terms set forth below, the parties agree as follows:

		
	1.
	Consulting Services.  After the Final Retirement Date, the Consultant agrees to consult with the Company on capital project planning and execution, and enterprise risk management matters ("Services"). With respect to such Services, the parties agree as follows:

		
	a)
	The initial term of this Agreement shall commence on July 2, 2020, and shall remain in effect for twelve (12) months thereafter, unless terminated by either party pursuant to Paragraph 1(i), below. After the twelve month initial term, this Agreement shall automatically renew on a month to month basis until it is terminated by either party pursuant to Paragraph 1(i), below.

		
	b)
	The Consultant will be solely responsible for determining the means, manner and method by which he will perform the Services, the times at which those Services will be performed and the sequence of performance of such Services.

		
	c)
	The Company will pay the Consultant for the consulting services a monthly fee of $15,000.00 dollars for the Services ("Consulting Fee"). The fees specified in this Paragraph 1(c) shall be the sole remuneration paid by the Company to Consultant in exchange for the Services provided by Consultant under this Agreement. Consultant will maintain records for all time spent on the Services. Payment for the Services will be due at the end of each month, upon the Consultant's production of an invoice for the Services. All invoices are to be directed to the Company, to the attention of the Executive Chairman, as follows: Mr. Gale E. Klappa, Executive Chairman, WEC Energy Group, 231 West Michigan, Milwaukee, WI  53203.

		
	d)
	The Consultant will present periodic oral progress reports to the Company on request.

		
	e)
	The Company will reimburse the Consultant reasonable travel expenses. Unless the Company agrees otherwise, Consultant shall provide such equipment as shall be necessary to provide the Services, at Consultant’s expense.

		
	f)
	The Consultant is free to perform services for any other person or business during the term of this Agreement, provided Consultant does not render services without the prior written approval of the Executive Chairman of the Company, to any other utility, and further provided that such other services do not preclude or conflict with his performance of the Services.

		
	g)
	The Consultant acknowledges that he will not be an employee of the Company or any of its affiliates during the term of this Agreement and that he will not be treated as an employee for federal or state tax purposes, but as an independent contractor. In acknowledging that Consultant is an independent contractor, Consultant agrees that Consultant shall not be entitled to participate in any insurance or other fringe benefits provided by the Company to its active employees and that the Company shall not be required hereunder to withhold nor shall the Company withhold any income, social security, unemployment or other tax or similar payments from the amounts payable to Consultant under this Agreement, it being agreed by Consultant that Consultant shall file all necessary tax returns and pay all necessary taxes consistent with Consultant's status as an independent contractor, and Consultant is liable for any applicable taxes on the amounts earned by Consultant under this Agreement.

		
	h)
	Services performed under this Agreement will be at the direction of Gale E. Klappa, Executive Chairman of the Company. The parties agree that Gale E. Klappa has the sole and absolute discretion to determine the scope of the Services. Consultant will not be subject to the direct supervision of the Company. Consultant shall perform all duties that may be required of and from him pursuant to the terms of this Agreement to the reasonable satisfaction of the Company.

		
	i)
	Either the Company or the Consultant shall have the right at any time and for any reason whatsoever, upon thirty (30) days written notice to the other, to terminate the Agreement. In the event of termination of the Agreement, the Consultant shall be paid for any outstanding Services performed and reasonable travel expenses actually incurred prior to and including the date of termination.

		
	2.
	Ownership of Documents.  All plans, designs, drawings, specifications, calculations, data, information and reports prepared, obtained, developed or furnished to or for the Company in the performance of the Services shall be and become the sole property of the Company and may not be released, disclosed or published in whole or in part to others without the written permission of the Company.

		
	3.
	Confidentiality.  In order that the Consultant may effectively provide fulfillment of this Agreement to the Company, it may be necessary or desirable for the Company to disclose confidential and proprietary information pertaining to the Company's past, present and future activities. Consultant shall not disclose Confidential Information of the Company to any third party. The foregoing obligation shall not apply to any information that (i) is at the time of disclosure, or thereafter becomes, part of the public domain through no wrongful act or omission of the Consultant, (ii) is subsequently received from a third party having no obligation of 

confidentiality to the Company, or (iii) is required to be disclosed by lawful order of a court or regulatory body having jurisdiction. For purposes of this Agreement, "Confidential Information" shall mean any confidential or proprietary information of the Company. The confidentiality provisions of this Agreement shall remain in full force and effect after the termination of this Agreement.

		
	4.
	Limited Liability.  Consultant will not be liable to the Company for any acts or omissions in the performance of the Services unless such acts or omissions constitute or result from gross negligence or willful misconduct by the Consultant. The Company will indemnify and hold Consultant harmless from any obligations, losses, costs, claims, judgments, damages, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of, resulting from, or in any way connected with the Services, unless Consultant is found by a court of competent jurisdiction to have been grossly negligent or to have engaged in willful misconduct. The Company may, at its option and at its own expense, assume the defense as to any such claim.

		
	5.
	Entire Agreement, Amendments.  This Agreement contains the entire understanding and agreement between the parties with respect to the matters covered and supersedes all other prior agreements and understandings, written or oral, between the parties with respect thereto. This Agreement may not be amended except by a written instrument signed by the parties. 

		
	6.
	Notices.  Except as otherwise provided above, each Party shall deliver all communications concerning this Agreement by personal delivery, nationally recognized overnight courier (with all fees prepaid), facsimile or email (with confirmation of transmission), or certified or registered mail (in each case, return receipt requested, postage prepaid), to the addresses stated immediately below or to such other address as any party may have furnished to the other in writing in accordance herewith.  Except as otherwise provided in this Agreement, a formal notice is effective only (a) upon receipt by the receiving party and (b) if the party giving the Notice has complied with the requirements of this section.

To the Company:

Margaret C. Kelsey
Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary
WEC Energy Group
231 West Michigan Street, Suite P444
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53203
Fax: 414-221-2185
Email: peggy.kelsey@wecenergygroup.com

To Consultant:
Frederick D. Kuester,
[ADDRESS]
[ADDRESS]

		
	7.
	Waiver.  A waiver by the Company of the breach of any of the provisions of this Agreement shall not be deemed to be a waiver by the Company of any subsequent breach. No provision of this Agreement may be waived other than in writing signed by both parties.

		
	8.
	Invalidity.  The obligations imposed by this Agreement are severable and should be construed independently of each other. The invalidity of one provision shall not affect the validity of any other provision. The parties agree that, should any portion of this Agreement be deemed unreasonable and/or unenforceable, the Agreement shall be construed, and may be modified, to make its terms reasonable, enforceable and applicable to the fullest extent possible consistent with the law.

		
	9.
	Severability.  Whenever possible, each provision of the Agreement shall be interpreted in such a manner as to be effective and valid under applicable law, but if any provision of the Agreement should be prohibited or invalid, in whole or in part, under applicable law, such provisions shall be ineffective only to the extent of such prohibition or invalidity without invalidating the remainder of such provision or the remaining provisions of the Agreement.

Signed this 29th  day of June, 2020

CONSULTANT

/s/ Frederick D. Kuester            
Frederick D. Kuester

WEC ENERGY GROUP

/s/ Gale E. Klappa                
Gale E. Klappa
Executive ChairmanEX-4.3

 
  
 
 

Exhibit
4.3

DESCRIPTION OF THE
REGISTRANT’S SECURITIES
 REGISTERED PURSUANT TO SECTION 12 OF THE 
 SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
                 As of May 31, 2020, General Mills, Inc. (“General
Mills,” the “Company,” “we,” “us,” and “our”) had five classes of securities registered under Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”):
 Common Stock, $.10 par value; 2.100% Notes due 2020; 1.000% Notes due 2023; 0.450% Notes due 2026; and 1.500% Notes due 2027.

DESCRIPTION OF COMMON
STOCK

         
       The following description of our Common Stock and our cumulative preference stock is a summary and does not purport to be complete. It is subject to and qualified in its entirety by reference to our Restated
Certificate of Incorporation (the “Certificate of Incorporation”) and our By-laws, as amended (the “By-laws”), each of which are incorporated by reference as an exhibit to our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K. We
encourage you to read our Certificate of Incorporation, our By-laws and the applicable provisions of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (“DGCL”) for additional information.

         
       General
                 Our Certificate of Incorporation currently authorizes the issuance of one billion shares of
our Common stock, par value $0.10 per share, and five million shares of cumulative preference stock, without par value, issuable in series. Our Common Stock is listed and principally traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol
“GIS.” All outstanding shares of our Common Stock are fully paid and nonassessable. 

Dividend Rights

The holders of Common Stock are entitled
to receive dividends when and as declared by our Board of Directors out of funds legally available for that purpose, provided that if any shares of preference stock are at the time outstanding, the payment of dividends on Common Stock or other
distributions (including purchases of Common Stock) may be subject to the declaration and payment of full cumulative dividends, and the absence of overdue amounts in any mandatory sinking fund, on outstanding shares of preference
stock.
 Voting
Rights

               
The holders of Common Stock are entitled to one vote for each share on all matters voted on by stockholders, including the election of directors, subject to the voting rights of any preference stock then outstanding. The holders of Common Stock are
not entitled to cumulative voting of their shares in the election of directors. Directors are to be elected by a majority of the votes cast by the holders of Common Stock entitled to vote and present in person or represented by proxy, provided that
if the number of nominees standing for election at any meeting of the stockholders exceeds the number of directors to be elected, the directors will be elected by a plurality of the votes cast. Except as provided by law, all other matters are to be
decided by a vote of a majority of votes cast by the holders of Common Stock entitled to vote and present in person or represented by proxy.
  
 Liquidation Rights
 In the event of liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Company, holders of Common Stock are entitled to share ratably in any assets remaining after the satisfaction in full of
the prior rights of creditors, including holders of our indebtedness, and the aggregate liquidation preference of any preference stock then outstanding.

Other Rights and
Preferences
 The
holders of Common Stock do not have any conversion rights or any preemptive rights to subscribe for stock or any other securities of the Company. There are no redemption or sinking fund provisions applicable to our Common Stock. 

Effect of Preference
Shares
 Our Board
of Directors is authorized to approve the issuance of one or more series of preference stock without further authorization of our stockholders and to fix the number of shares, the designations, the relative rights and the limitations of any series
of preference stock. As a result, our Board of Directors, without stockholder approval, could authorize the issuance of preference stock with voting, conversion and other rights that could proportionately reduce, minimize or otherwise adversely
affect the voting power 

 
and other rights of holders of Common Stock or other series of preference stock or that could have the
effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change in our control.
 Transfer Agent
 The transfer agent for Common Stock is Equiniti Trust Company.
  
     

 
 
 

DESCRIPTION OF 

2.100% NOTES DUE 2020
 1.000% NOTES DUE 2023
 0.450% NOTES DUE 2026 
 1.500% NOTES DUE 2027
                 The following description of our 2.100% Notes due 2020 (the “2020 Notes”),
1.000% Notes due 2023 (the “2023 Notes”), 0.450% Notes due 2026 (the “2026 Notes”) and 1.500% Notes due 2027 (the “2027 Notes,” and together with the 2020 Notes, 2023 Notes, and 2026 Notes, the
“Notes”) is a summary and does not purport to be complete. It is subject to and qualified in its entirety by reference to the Indenture, dated as of February 1, 1996, between General Mills and U.S. Bank National Association (f/k/a First
Trust of Illinois, National Association), as supplemented by the First Supplemental Indenture, dated as of May 18, 2009, between General Mills and U.S. Bank National Association (together the “Indenture”), which are incorporated by
reference as exhibits to our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, and, as applicable, the Officers’ Certificate for the 2020 Notes, incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K dated
November 14, 2013, the Officers’ Certificate for the 2023 Notes, incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K dated April 24, 2015, the Officers’ Certificate for the 2026 Notes,
incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 4 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K dated January 15, 2020 and the Officers’ Certificate for the 2027 Notes, incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 4.2 to the Company’s
Current Report on Form 8-K dated April 24, 2015. We encourage you to read the Indenture and the Officers’ Certificates for additional information. References in this section to the “Company,” “us,” “we” and
“our” are solely to General Mills and not to any of its subsidiaries, unless the context requires otherwise.
                 General

         
       We issued €500,000,000 aggregate principal amount of our 2020 Notes on November 15, 2013, €500,000,000 aggregate principal amount of our 2023 Notes and €400,000,000 aggregate principal amount of
our 2027 Notes on April 27, 2015, and €600,000,000 aggregate principal amount of our 2026 Notes on January 15, 2020. The 2020 Notes, 2023 Notes, 2026 Notes and 2027 Notes are listed and principally traded on the New York Stock Exchange under
the symbols “GIS20,” “GIS23A,” “GIS26” and “GIS27,” respectively. As of May 31, 2020, €500,000,000 aggregate principal amount of the 2020 Notes, €500,000,000 aggregate principal amount of
the 2023 Notes, €600,000,000 aggregate principal amount of the 2026 Notes and €400,000,000 aggregate principal amount of the 2027 Notes were outstanding.

         
       The Notes were each issued as a separate series of securities under the Indenture. The Notes and the Indenture are governed by, and are to be construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of New York
applicable to agreements made and to be performed wholly within the State of New York.
                 Interest and Maturity

         
        The 2020 Notes will mature on November 16, 2020, the 2023 Notes will mature on April 27,
2023, the 2026 Notes will mature on January 15, 2026, and the 2027 Notes will mature on April 27, 2027. We will pay interest on the 2020 Notes at the rate of 2.100% per year annually in arrears on November 16 of each year to holders of record on the
preceding November 1. We will pay interest on the 2023 Notes at the rate of 1.000% per year annually in arrears on April 27 of each year, beginning April 27, 2016, to holders of record on the preceding April 12. We will pay interest on the 2026
Notes at the rate of 0.450% per year annually in arrears on January 15 of each year, beginning January 15, 2021, to holders of record on the preceding January 1. We will pay interest on the 2027 Notes at the rate of 1.500% per year annually in
arrears on April 27 of each year, beginning April 27, 2016, to holders of record on the preceding April 12. Interest payments for the 2020 Notes include accrued interest from and including November 15, 2013 or from and including the last date in
respect of which interest has been paid or provided for, as the case may be, to but excluding the interest payment date or the date of maturity, as the case may be. Interest payments for the 2023 and 2027 Notes include accrued interest from and
including April 27, 2015 or from and including the last date in respect of which interest has been paid or provided for, as the case may be, to but excluding the next interest payment date or the date of maturity, as the case may be. Interest
payments for the 2026 Notes include accrued interest from and including January 15, 2020 or from and including the last date in respect of which interest has been paid or provided for, as the case may be, to but excluding the interest payment date
or the date of maturity, as the case may be. Interest payable at the maturity of the Notes will be payable to the registered holders of the Notes to whom the principal is payable.

         
       Interest on the Notes is computed on the basis of the actual number of days in the period for which interest is being calculated and the actual number of days from and including the last date on which interest was
paid on the Notes, to but excluding the next scheduled interest payment date. This payment convention is referred to as ACTUAL/ACTUAL (ICMA) as defined in the rulebook of the International Capital Market Association. If any interest payment date on
the Notes falls on a day that is not a business day, the interest payment will be postponed to the next day that is a business day, and no interest on that payment will accrue for the period from and after the interest payment date. If the maturity
date of the Notes falls on a day that is not a business day, the payment of 

  3 
 

 
 
 

interest and principal will be made on the next succeeding business day, and no interest on such payment
will accrue for the period from and after the maturity date.
                 “Business day” means any day that is not a Saturday or Sunday and that is not a
day on which banking institutions are authorized or obligated by law or executive order to close in the City of New York or London and on which the Trans-European Automated Real-time Gross Settlement Express Transfer system (the TARGET2 system), or
any successor thereto, operates.

         
       Payments in Euro
                 All payments of interest and principal, including payments made upon any redemption of the
Notes, is payable in euro. If the euro is unavailable to us due to the imposition of exchange controls or other circumstances beyond our control or if the euro is no longer being used by the then member states of the European Monetary Union that
have adopted the euro as their currency or for the settlement of transactions by public institutions of or within the international banking community, then all payments in respect of the Notes will be made in dollars until the euro is again
available to us or so used. The amount payable on any date in euro is converted into dollars on the basis of the most recently available market exchange rate for euro. Any payment in respect of the Notes so made in dollars will not constitute an
event of default under the Notes or the Indenture governing the Notes. Neither the trustee nor the paying agent shall have any responsibility for any calculation or conversion in connection with the foregoing.

         
       Issuance of Additional Notes
                 We may, without the consent of the holders of Notes, issue additional Notes having the same
ranking and the same interest rate, maturity and other terms as a series of the Notes (except for the public offering price and issue date and, in some cases, the first interest payment date). Any additional Notes, together with the Notes with the
same terms, will constitute a single series of Notes under the Indenture; provided that, if the additional Notes are not fungible with the Notes in this offering for United States federal income tax purposes, the additional Notes will have different
ISIN and CUSIP numbers. No additional Notes of a series may be issued if an event of default has occurred with respect to that series of Notes.

         
       Ranking
                 The Notes are our unsecured and unsubordinated obligations. The Notes rank equal in priority
with all of our existing and future unsecured and unsubordinated indebtedness and senior in right of payment to all of our existing and future subordinated indebtedness. The Notes effectively rank junior to all of our existing and future secured
indebtedness to the extent of the value of the assets securing such indebtedness. In addition, because the Notes are only our obligation and are not guaranteed by our subsidiaries, creditors of each of our subsidiaries, including trade creditors and
owners of preferred equity of our subsidiaries, generally will have priority with respect to the assets and earnings of the subsidiary over the claims of our creditors, including holders of the Notes. The Notes, therefore, are effectively
subordinated to the claims of creditors, including trade creditors, of our subsidiaries, and to claims of owners of preferred equity of our subsidiaries. 

         
       Redemption
                 As discussed below, we may redeem the Notes before they mature. The Notes to be redeemed
will stop bearing interest on the redemption date. We will give holders of Notes between 15 and 45 days’ notice before the redemption date.

         
       We are not required (i) to register, transfer or exchange the Notes during the period from the opening of business 15 days before the day a notice of redemption relating to the Notes selected for redemption is
sent to the close of business on the day that notice is sent, or (ii) to register, transfer or exchange any Notes so selected for redemption, except for the unredeemed portion of any Notes being redeemed in part.

         
       We may redeem the Notes, in whole or in part, at any time and from time to time. The redemption price for the 2020 Notes to be redeemed on any redemption date that is prior to August 16, 2020 (the date that is
three months prior to the maturity date) will be equal to the greater of (1) 100% of the principal amount of the 2020 Notes to be redeemed and (2) the sum of the present values of the remaining scheduled payments of principal and interest on the
2020 Notes to be redeemed (excluding any portion of such payments of interest accrued as of the date of redemption) discounted to the redemption date on an annual basis (ACTUAL/ACTUAL (ICMA)) at the applicable Comparable Government Bond Rate (as
defined below), plus 15 basis points, plus, in each case, accrued and unpaid interest to the date of redemption. The redemption price for the 2020 Notes to be redeemed on any redemption date that is on or after August 16, 2020 (the date that is
three months prior to the maturity date) will be equal to 100% of the principal amount of the 2020 Notes being redeemed on the redemption date, plus accrued and unpaid interest on the 2020 Notes to the date of redemption. The redemption price for
the 2023 Notes to be redeemed on any redemption date that is prior to January 27, 2023 (the date that is three months prior to the maturity date) will be equal to the greater of (1) 100% of the principal amount of the 2023 Notes to be redeemed and
(2) as determined by an independent investment bank selected by us, the sum of the present values of the remaining scheduled payments of principal and interest on the 2023 notes to be redeemed (excluding any portion of such payments of interest
accrued as of 

  4 
 

 
 
 

the date of redemption) discounted to the redemption date on an annual basis (ACTUAL/ACTUAL (ICMA)) at the
applicable Comparable Government Bond Rate (as defined below) plus 20 basis points, plus, in each case, accrued and unpaid interest to the date of redemption. The redemption price for the 2023 Notes to be redeemed on any redemption date that is on
or after January 27, 2023 (the date that is three months prior to the maturity date) will be equal to 100% of the principal amount of the 2023 Notes being redeemed on the redemption date, plus accrued and unpaid interest on the 2023 Notes to the
date of redemption. The redemption price for the 2026 Notes to be redeemed on any redemption date that is prior to October 15, 2025 (the date that is three months prior to the maturity date) will be equal to the greater of (1) 100% of the principal
amount of the 2026 Notes to be redeemed and (2) as determined by an independent investment bank selected by us, the sum of the present values of the remaining scheduled payments of principal and interest on the notes to be redeemed (excluding any
portion of such payments of interest accrued as of the date of redemption) discounted to the redemption date on an annual basis (ACTUAL/ACTUAL (ICMA)) at the applicable Comparable Government Bond Rate (as defined below) plus 15 basis points, plus,
in each case, accrued and unpaid interest to the date of redemption. The redemption price for the 2026 Notes to be redeemed on any redemption date that is on or after October 15, 2025 (the date that is three months prior to the maturity date) will
be equal to 100% of the principal amount of the notes being redeemed on the redemption date, plus accrued and unpaid interest on the notes to the date of redemption. The redemption price for the 2027 Notes to be redeemed on any redemption date that
is prior to January 27, 2027 (the date that is three months prior to the maturity date) will be equal to the greater of (1) 100% of the principal amount of the 2027 Notes to be redeemed and (2) as determined by an independent investment bank
selected by us, the sum of the present values of the remaining scheduled payments of principal and interest on the 2027 Notes to be redeemed (excluding any portion of such payments of interest accrued as of the date of redemption) discounted to the
redemption date on an annual basis (ACTUAL/ACTUAL (ICMA)) at the applicable Comparable Government Bond Rate plus 25 basis points, plus, in each case, accrued and unpaid interest to the date of redemption. The redemption price for the 2027 Notes to
be redeemed on any redemption date that is on or after January 27, 2027 (the date that is three months prior to the maturity date) will be equal to 100% of the principal amount of the 2027 Notes being redeemed on the redemption date, plus accrued
and unpaid interest on the 2027 Notes to the date of redemption. In any case, the principal amount of a Notes remaining outstanding after a redemption in part shall be €100,000 or an integral multiple of €1,000 in excess
thereof.

         
       In connection with such optional redemption of Notes, the following defined terms apply:

·          “Comparable
Government Bond Rate” means the yield to maturity, expressed as a percentage (rounded to three decimal places, with 0.0005 being rounded upwards), on the third business day prior to the date fixed for redemption, of the Comparable Government
Bond (as defined below) on the basis of the middle market price of the Comparable Government Bond prevailing at 11:00 a.m. (London time) on such business day as determined by an independent investment bank selected by us.

·          “Comparable
Government Bond” means, in relation to any Comparable Government Bond Rate calculation, at the discretion of an independent investment bank selected by us, a German government bond whose maturity is closest to the maturity of the Notes to be
redeemed, or if such independent investment bank in its discretion determines that such similar bond is not in issue, such other German government bond as such independent investment bank may, with the advice of three brokers of, and/or market
makers in, German government bonds selected by us, determine to be appropriate for determining the Comparable Government Bond Rate.
                 The Notes are also subject to redemption prior to maturity if
certain events occur involving United States taxation. If any of these special tax events occur, the Notes may be redeemed at a redemption price of 100% of their principal amount plus accrued and unpaid interest to the date fixed for redemption. See
“Redemption for Tax Reasons.”
                 Payment of Additional Amounts

         
       We will, subject to the exceptions and limitations set forth below, pay as additional interest on the Notes such additional amounts as are necessary in order that the net payment of the principal of and interest
on the Notes to a holder of the Notes (or the beneficial owner for whose benefit such holder holds the Notes) who is not a United States person (as defined below), after withholding or deduction for any present or future tax, assessment or other
governmental charge imposed by the United States or a taxing authority in the United States, will not be less than the amount provided in the Notes to be then due and payable; provided, however, that the foregoing obligation to pay additional
amounts shall not apply:

(1)      
     to any tax, assessment or other governmental charge that is imposed by reason of the holder (or the beneficial owner for whose benefit such holder holds such note), or a fiduciary, settlor, beneficiary, member or shareholder
of the holder if the holder is an estate, trust, partnership or corporation, or a person holding a power over an estate or trust administered by a fiduciary holder, being considered as:

(a)      
     being or having been engaged in a trade or business in the United States or having or having had a permanent establishment in the United States;
 
5 
 

 
 
 

(b)      
     having a current or former connection with the United States (other than a connection arising solely as a result of the ownership of the Notes or the receipt of any payment or the enforcement of any rights thereunder),
including being or having been a citizen or resident of the United States;
 (c)           being or having been a personal holding company, a passive foreign investment company or a controlled foreign
corporation for United States income tax purposes or a corporation that has accumulated earnings to avoid United States federal income tax;

(d)      
     being or having been a “10-percent shareholder” of the Company as defined in section 871(h)(3) of the United States Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), or any successor provision;
or

(e)      
     being a bank receiving payments on an extension of credit made pursuant to a loan agreement entered into in the ordinary course of its trade or business;

(2)      
     to any holder that is not the sole beneficial owner of the Notes, or a portion of the Notes, or that is a fiduciary, partnership or limited liability company, but only to the extent that a beneficial owner with respect to the
holder, a beneficiary or settlor with respect to the fiduciary, or a beneficial owner or member of the partnership or limited liability company would not have been entitled to the payment of an additional amount had the beneficiary, settlor,
beneficial owner or member received directly its beneficial or distributive share of the payment;
 (3)           to any tax, assessment or other governmental charge that would not have been imposed but for
the failure of the holder or any other person to comply with certification, identification or information reporting requirements concerning the nationality, residence, identity or connection with the United States of the holder or beneficial owner
of the Notes, if compliance is required by statute, by regulation of the United States or any taxing authority therein or by an applicable income tax treaty to which the United States is a party as a precondition to exemption from such tax,
assessment or other governmental charge;
 (4)           to any tax, assessment or other governmental charge that is imposed otherwise than by withholding by us or an
applicable paying or withholding agent from the payment;
 (5)           to any tax, assessment or other governmental charge that would not have been imposed but for a change in law,
regulation, or administrative or judicial interpretation that becomes effective more than 15 days after the payment becomes due or is duly provided for, whichever occurs later;

(6)      
     to any estate, inheritance, gift, sales, excise, transfer, wealth, capital gains or personal property tax or similar tax, assessment or other governmental charge;

(7)      
     with respect to the 2020, 2023 and 2027 Notes, to any withholding or deduction that is imposed on a payment to an individual and that is required to be made pursuant to any law implementing or complying with, or introduced in
order to conform to, any European Union Directive on the taxation of savings;
 (8)           to any tax, assessment or other governmental charge required to be withheld by any paying agent from any payment of
principal of or interest on any note, if such payment can be made without such withholding by at least one other paying agent;

(9)      
     to any tax, assessment or other governmental charge that would not have been imposed but for the presentation by the holder of any note, where presentation is required, for payment on a date more than 30 days after the date
on which payment became due and payable or the date on which payment thereof is duly provided for, whichever occurs later;

(10)      
   with respect to the 2020, 2023 and 2027 Notes, to any tax, assessment or other governmental charge that is imposed or withheld solely by reason of the beneficial owner being a bank (i) purchasing the Notes in the ordinary course of its
lending business or (ii) that is neither (A) buying the Notes for investment purposes only nor (B) buying the Notes for resale to a third-party that either is not a bank or holding the Notes for investment purposes only;

(11)      
   to any tax, assessment or other governmental charge imposed under Sections 1471 through 1474 of the Code (or any amended or successor provisions), any current or future regulations or official interpretations thereof, any agreement
entered into pursuant to Section 1471(b) of the Code or any fiscal or regulatory legislation, rules or practices adopted pursuant to any intergovernmental agreement entered into in connection with the implementation of such sections of the Code;
or

(12)      
   in the case of any combination of items (1), (2), (3), (4), (5), (6), (7), (8), (9), (10) and (11).
 
6 
 

 
 
 

         
       The Notes are subject in all cases to any tax, fiscal or other law or regulation or administrative or judicial interpretation applicable to the Notes. Except as specifically provided under this heading
“Payment of Additional Amounts,” we are not required to make any payment for any tax, assessment or other governmental charge imposed by any government or a political subdivision or taxing authority of or in any government or political
subdivision.

         
       As used under this heading “Payment of Additional Amounts” and under the heading “Redemption for Tax Reasons”, the term “United States” means the United States of America, the
states of the United States, and the District of Columbia, and the term “United States person” means any individual who is a citizen or resident of the United States for United States federal income tax purposes, a corporation,
partnership or other entity created or organized in or under the laws of the United States, any state of the United States or the District of Columbia, or any estate or trust the income of which is subject to United States federal income taxation
regardless of its source.

         
       With respect to the 2020, 2023 and 2027 Notes, to the extent permitted by law, we will maintain a paying agent in a Member State of the European Union (if any) that will not require withholding or deduction of tax
pursuant to European Council Directive 2003/48/EC on the taxation of savings income or any law implementing or complying with, or introduced in order to conform to, such European Council Directive.

         
       Redemption for Tax Reasons
                 If, as a result of any change in, or amendment to, the laws (or any regulations or rulings
promulgated under the laws) of the United States (or any taxing authority in the United States), or any change in, or amendment to, an official position regarding the application or interpretation of such laws, regulations or rulings, we become or,
based upon a written opinion of independent counsel selected by us, will become obligated to pay additional amounts as described under the heading “Payment of Additional Amounts” with respect to the Notes, then we may at any time at our
option redeem, in whole, but not in part, any series of the Notes on not less than 15 nor more than 45 days’ prior notice, at a redemption price equal to 100% of their principal amount, together with accrued and unpaid interest on such Notes
to, but not including, the date fixed for redemption.
                 Change of Control Offer to Purchase

         
       If a change of control triggering event occurs, holders of Notes may require us to repurchase all or any part (equal to an integral multiple of €1,000) of their Notes at a purchase price of 101% of the
principal amount, plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, on such Notes to the date of purchase (unless a notice of redemption has been mailed within 30 days after such change of control triggering event stating that all of the Notes of such
series will be redeemed as described above); provided that the principal amount of a Note remaining outstanding after a repurchase in part shall be €100,000 or an integral multiple of €1,000 in excess thereof. We are required to mail to
holders of the Notes a notice describing the transaction or transactions constituting the change of control triggering event and offering to repurchase the Notes. The notice must be mailed within 30 days after any change of control triggering event,
and the repurchase must occur no earlier than 30 days and no later than 60 days after the date the notice is mailed.
                 On the date specified for repurchase of the Notes, we will, to
the extent lawful:

·          accept for payment all
properly tendered Notes or portions of Notes;
 ·          deposit with the paying agent the required payment for all properly tendered Notes or portions of Notes; and

·          deliver to the trustee
the repurchased Notes, accompanied by an officers’ certificate stating, among other things, the aggregate principal amount of repurchased Notes.

         
       We will comply with the requirements of Rule 14e-1 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and any other securities laws and regulations applicable to the repurchase of the Notes. To the extent that
these requirements conflict with the provisions requiring repurchase of the Notes, we will comply with these requirements instead of the repurchase provisions and will not be considered to have breached our obligations with respect to repurchasing
the Notes. Additionally, if an event of default exists under the Indenture (which is unrelated to the repurchase provisions of the Notes), including events of default arising with respect to other issues of debt securities, we will not be required
to repurchase the Notes notwithstanding these repurchase provisions.
                 We will not be required to comply with the obligations relating to repurchasing the Notes if
a third party instead satisfies them.

         
       For purposes of the repurchase provisions of the Notes, the following terms are applicable:

 
 
 

         
       “Change of control” means the
occurrence of any of the following: (a) the consummation of any transaction (including, without limitation, any merger or consolidation) resulting in any “person” (as that term is used in Section 13(d)(3) of the Securities Exchange Act
of 1934, as amended) (other than us or one of our subsidiaries) becoming the beneficial owner (as defined in Rules 13d-3 and 13d-5 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended), directly or indirectly, of more than 50% of our voting stock
or other voting stock into which our voting stock is reclassified, consolidated, exchanged or changed, measured by voting power rather than number of shares; (b) the direct or indirect sale, transfer, conveyance or other disposition (other than by
way of merger or consolidation), in a transaction or a series of related transactions, of all or substantially all of our assets and the assets of our subsidiaries, taken as a whole, to one or more “persons” (as that term is defined in
the Indenture) (other than us or one of our subsidiaries); or (c) the first day on which a majority of the members of our Board of Directors are not continuing directors. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a transaction will not be considered to be a
change of control if (a) we become a direct or indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of a holding company and (b)(y) immediately following that transaction, the direct or indirect holders of the voting stock of the holding company are substantially the
same as the holders of our voting stock immediately prior to that transaction or (z) immediately following that transaction no person is the beneficial owner, directly or indirectly, of more than 50% of the voting stock of the holding
company.

         
       “Change of control triggering event”
means the occurrence of both a change of control and a rating event.
                
“Continuing directors” means, as of any date of determination, any
member of our Board of Directors who (a) was a member of the Board of Directors on the date the Notes were issued or (b) was nominated for election, elected or appointed to the Board of Directors with the approval of a majority of the continuing
directors who were members of the Board of Directors at the time of such nomination, election or appointment (either by a specific vote or by approval of our proxy statement in which such member was named as a nominee for election as a director,
without objection to such nomination).
 “Fitch” means
 Fitch Ratings.

“Investment grade rating” means a rating equal to or higher than BBB- (or the equivalent) by
Fitch, Baa3 (or the equivalent) by Moody’s and BBB- (or the equivalent) by S&P, and the equivalent investment grade credit rating from any replacement rating agency or rating agencies selected by us.

         
       “Moody’s” means Moody’s
Investors Service, Inc.

         
       “Rating agencies” means (a) each of
Fitch, Moody’s and S&P; and (b) if any of Fitch, Moody’s or S&P ceases to rate the Notes or fails to make a rating of the Notes publicly available for reasons outside of our control, a “nationally recognized statistical
rating organization” (as defined in Section 3(a)(62) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended) selected by us as a replacement rating agency for a former rating agency.

         
       “Rating event” means the rating on
the Notes is lowered by each of the rating agencies and the Notes are rated below an investment grade rating by each of the rating agencies on any day within the 60-day period (which 60-day period will be extended so long as the rating of the Notes
is under publicly announced consideration for a possible downgrade by any of the rating agencies) after the earlier of (a) the occurrence of a change of control and (b) public notice of the occurrence of a change of control or our intention to
effect a change of control; provided that a rating event will not be deemed to have occurred in respect of a particular change of control (and thus will not be deemed a rating event for purposes of the definition of change of control triggering
event) if each rating agency making the reduction in rating does not publicly announce or confirm or inform the trustee in writing at our request that the reduction was the result, in whole or in part, of any event or circumstance comprised of or
arising as a result of, or in respect of, the change of control (whether or not the applicable change of control has occurred at the time of the rating event).

         
       “S&P” means S&P Global
Ratings, a division of S&P Global Inc., and its successors.
                
“Voting stock” means, with respect to any specified “person”
(as that term is used in Section 13(d)(3) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended) as of any date, the capital stock of such person that is at the time entitled to vote generally in the election of the board of directors of such
person.

         
       Sinking Fund
                 The Notes are not subject to, or entitled to the benefit of, any sinking
fund.
 Conversion or
Exchange Rights

The Notes are not convertible or
exchangeable for shares of our common stock or other securities.
 
8 
 

 
 
 

Certain Restrictive
Covenants
 The
Indenture contains restrictive covenants that apply the Notes, the most significant of which are described below.
 Limitation on Liens on Major Property and United States and Canadian Operating Subsidiaries  
 Some of our property may be subject to a mortgage or other legal mechanism that gives our lenders preferential rights in that property over other lenders, including direct holders of
the Notes, or over our general creditors, if we fail to pay them back. These preferential rights are called “liens.” The Indenture restricts our ability to create, issue, assume, incur or guarantee any indebtedness for borrowed money
that is secured by a mortgage, pledge, lien, security interest or other encumbrance on:
 ·          any flour mill, manufacturing or packaging plant or research laboratory located in the United States or Canada owned by us or one of our current or future
United States or Canadian operating subsidiaries; or
 ·          any stock or debt issued by one of our current or future United States or Canadian operating subsidiaries

unless we also secure all the Notes that are still
outstanding under the Indenture equally with the indebtedness being secured. This promise does not restrict our ability to sell or otherwise dispose of our interests in any United States or Canadian operating subsidiary.

These requirements do not apply to
liens:
 ·          existing on February
1, 1996 and any extensions, renewals or replacements of those liens;
 ·          relating to the construction, improvement or purchase of a flour mill, plant or laboratory;

·          in favor of us or one
of our United States or Canadian operating subsidiaries;
 ·          in favor of governmental units for financing construction, improvement or purchase of our property;

·          existing on any
property, stock or debt existing at the time we acquire it, including liens on property, stock or debt of a United States or Canadian operating subsidiary at the time it became our United States or Canadian operating subsidiary;

·          relating to the sale
of our property;

·          for work done on our
property;
 ·          relating to
workers’ compensation, unemployment insurance and similar obligations;
 ·          relating to litigation or legal judgments;
 ·          for taxes, assessments or governmental charges not yet due; or

·          consisting of
easements or other restrictions, defects in title or encumbrances on our real property.
 We may also avoid securing the Notes equally with the indebtedness being secured if the amount of the indebtedness being secured plus the value of any sale and lease back
transactions, as described below, is 15% or less than the amount of our consolidated total assets minus our consolidated non-interest bearing current liabilities, as reflected on our consolidated balance sheet.

If a merger or other transaction would
create any liens that are not permitted as described above, we must grant an equivalent lien to the direct holders of the Notes.

Limitation on Sale and Leaseback
Transactions  

The Indenture also provides that we and
our United States and Canadian operating subsidiaries will not enter into any sale and leaseback transactions on any of our flourmills, manufacturing or packaging plants or research laboratories located in the United States or Canada owned by us or
one of our current or future United States or Canadian operating subsidiaries (“principal properties”) unless we satisfy some restrictions. A sale and leaseback transaction involves our sale to a lender or other investor of a property of
ours and our leasing back that property from that party for more than three years, or a sale of a property to, and its lease back for three or more years from, another person who borrows the necessary funds from a lender or other investor on the
security of the property.
  9 
 

 
 
 

We may enter into a sale and leaseback
transaction covering any of our principal properties only if:
 ·          it falls into the exceptions for liens described above under “— Limitation on Liens on Major Property and United States and Canadian Operating Subsidiaries”;
or
 ·          within 180 days after
the property sale, we set aside for the retirement of funded debt, meaning notes or bonds that mature at or may be extended to a date more than 12 months after issuance, an amount equal to the greater of:

 ☐      the net proceeds of the sale of the principal
property, or
  ☐      the fair market value of the principal property sold, and in either case, minus

 ☐      the principal amount of any debt securities issued
under the Indenture that are delivered to the trustee for retirement within 120 days after the property sale, and
  ☐      the principal amount of any funded debt, other than debt securities issued under the Indenture, voluntarily retired by us within 120 days after the property sale; or

·          the attributable
value, as described below, of all sale and leaseback transactions plus any indebtedness that we incur that, but for the exception in the second to last paragraph of “— Limitation on Liens on Major Property and United States and Canadian
Operating Subsidiaries” above, would have required us to secure the Notes equally with it, is 15% or less than the amount of our consolidated total assets minus our consolidated non-interest bearing current liabilities, as reflected on our
consolidated balance sheet.
 We
determine the attributable value of a sale and leaseback transaction by choosing the lesser of (1) or (2) below:
 1.      
 sale price of the leased property        
              x                             
                  remaining portion of the base
 term of the lease                

the base term of the lease

2.        the total obligation of the lessee
for rental payments during the remaining portion of the base term of the lease, discounted to present value at the highest interest rate on any outstanding series of debt securities issued under the Indenture. The rental payments in this calculation
do not include amounts for property taxes, maintenance, repairs, insurance, water rates and other items that are not payments for the property itself.

Mergers and Similar
Events
 We are
generally permitted under the Indenture to consolidate or merge with another company. We are also permitted to sell or lease some or all of our assets to another company. However, we may not take any of these actions unless the following conditions,
among others, are met:

·          where we merge out of
existence or sell or lease substantially all our assets, the other company must be a corporation, limited liability company, partnership or trust organized under the laws of a state or the District of Columbia or under United States federal law and
it must expressly agree in a supplemental indenture to be legally responsible for the Notes; and
 ·          the merger, sale of assets or other transaction must not bring about a default on the Notes (for purposes of this test, a default would include an event of
default described below under “Default and Related Matters” and any event that would be an event of default if the requirements for giving us notice of our default or our default having to exist for a specific period of time were
disregarded).
 There is
no precise, established definition of what would constitute a sale or lease of substantially all of our assets under applicable law and, accordingly, there may be uncertainty as to whether a sale or lease of less than all of our assets would subject
us to this provision.

If we merge out of existence or transfer
(except through a lease) substantially all our assets, and the other firm becomes our successor and is legally responsible for the Notes, we will be relieved of our own responsibility for the Notes.

Default and
Related Matters

Noteholders will have special rights if
an event of default occurs and is not cured. For each series of Notes the term “event of default” means any of the following:

·          we do not pay interest
on a Note of that series within 30 days of its due date;
 ·          we do not pay the principal or any premium on a Note of that series on its due date;

·          we do not deposit
money into a separate custodial account, known as a sinking fund, when such a deposit is due, if we agree to maintain a sinking fund with respect to that series;

·          we remain in breach of
any restrictive covenant with respect to that series or any other term of the Indenture for 60 days after we receive a notice of default stating we are in breach (the notice must be sent by either the trustee or direct holders of at least 25% of the
principal amount of Notes of the affected series); or
 ·          we file for bankruptcy or other events of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization occur.

In the event of our bankruptcy,
insolvency or other similar proceeding, all of the Notes will automatically be due and immediately payable. If a non-bankruptcy event of default has occurred with respect to any series of Notes and has not been cured, the trustee or the direct
holders of not less than 25% in principal amount of the Notes of the affected series may declare the entire principal amount of all the Notes of that series to be due and immediately payable. This is called a “declaration of acceleration of
maturity.”
 A
declaration of acceleration of maturity may be canceled by the direct holders of at least a majority in principal amount of the Notes of the affected series if any other defaults on those Notes have been waived or cured and we pay or deposit with
the trustee an amount sufficient to pay the following with respect to the Notes of that series:
 ·          all overdue interest;
 ·          principal and premium, if any, which has become due, other than as a result of the acceleration, plus any interest on that principal;

·          interest on overdue
interest, to the extent that payment is lawful; and
 ·          amounts paid or advanced by the trustee and reasonable trustee compensation and expenses.

Except in cases of default, where the
trustee has some special duties, the trustee is not required to take any action under the Indenture at the request of any direct holders unless the holders offer the trustee reasonable protection from expenses and liability, called an
“indemnity.” If reasonable indemnity is provided, the direct holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding Notes of the relevant series may direct the time, method and place of conducting any lawsuit or other formal legal
action seeking any remedy available to the trustee. These majority direct holders may also direct the trustee in exercising any trust or power conferred on the trustee under the Indenture.

Before an investor may bypass the
trustee and bring its own lawsuit or other formal legal action or take other steps to enforce its rights or protect its interests relating to any Notes of any series, the following must occur:

·          the investor must give
the trustee written notice that an event of default with respect to the Notes of that series has occurred and remains uncured;

·          the direct holders of
at least 25% in principal amount of all outstanding Notes of that series must make a written request that the trustee take action because of the default, and must offer reasonable indemnity to the trustee against any cost and liabilities of taking
that action;

·          the trustee must not
have received from direct holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding Notes of that series a direction inconsistent with the written notice; and

·          the trustee must have
failed to take action for 60 days after receipt of the above notice and offer of indemnity.
 
11 
 

However, investors are entitled at any
time to bring a lawsuit for the payment of money due on a Note on or after its due date.
 Every year we will certify in a written statement to the trustee that we are in compliance with the Indenture and each series of Notes or specify any default that we know
about.

Defeasance

In some circumstances described below,
we may elect to discharge our obligations on the Notes through defeasance or covenant defeasance.
 Full Defeasance
 
 If there is
a change in United States federal tax law as described below, we could legally release ourselves from any payment or other obligations on the Notes, called “full defeasance,” if we put in place the following arrangements for investors to
be repaid:
 ·          we must irrevocably
deposit in trust for the benefit of all direct holders of those Notes money or specified German government securities or a combination of these that will generate enough cash to make interest, principal and any other payments on those Notes on their
various due dates;

·          there must be a change
in current federal tax law or an Internal Revenue Service ruling that lets us make the deposit without causing investors to be taxed on the Notes any differently than if we did not make the deposit and simply repaid such Notes ourselves (under
current United States federal tax law, the deposit and our legal release from the such Notes would be treated as though we took back such Notes and gave investors their share of the cash and notes or bonds deposited in trust, in which case investors
could recognize gain or loss on those Notes); and
 ·          we must deliver to the trustee a legal opinion confirming the United States tax law change described above.

In addition, no default must have
occurred and be continuing with respect to those Notes at the time the deposit is made (and, with respect only to bankruptcy and similar events, during the 90 days following the deposit), and we have delivered a certificate and a legal opinion to
the effect that the deposit does not:
 ·          cause any outstanding Notes to be delisted;
 ·          cause the trustee to have a “conflicting interest” within the meaning of the Trust Indenture Act of 1939;

·          result in a breach or
violation of, or constitute a default under, any other agreement or instrument to which we are party or by which we are bound; and

·          result in the trust
arising from it constituting an “investment company” within the meaning of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (unless we register the trust, or find an exemption from registration, under that Act).

If we ever did accomplish full
defeasance, investors would have to rely solely on the trust deposit, and could no longer look to us, for repayment on the Notes of the affected series. Conversely, the trust deposit would likely be protected from claims of our lenders and other
creditors if we ever become bankrupt or insolvent.
 Covenant Defeasance  

Under current United States federal tax
law, we can make the same type of deposit described above and be released from many of the covenants in the Notes. This is called “covenant defeasance.” In that event, investors would lose the protection of those covenants but would gain
the protection of having money and securities set aside in trust to repay the applicable series of Notes. In order to achieve covenant defeasance, we must do the following:

·          make the same deposit
of money and/or German government securities described above under “— Full Defeasance;”
 ·          deliver to the trustee a legal opinion confirming that under current United States federal income tax law we may make the above deposit without causing
investors to be taxed on the applicable series of Notes any differently than if we did not make the deposit and simply repaid the applicable series of Notes ourselves; and

·          comply with the other
conditions precedent described above under “— Full Defeasance.”

 
 
 

If we accomplish covenant defeasance,
the following provisions, among others, would no longer apply:
 ·          the events of default relating to breach of covenants described below under “Default and Related Matters;” and

·          any promises regarding
conduct of our business, such as those described under “Certain Restrictive Covenants” below and any other covenants applicable to the series of Notes.

If we accomplish covenant defeasance,
investors can still look to us for repayment of the applicable series of Notes if there is a shortfall in the trust deposit. Depending on the event causing the default, however, investors may not be able to obtain payment of the
shortfall.

Modification and
Waiver
 There are
three types of changes we can make to the Indenture and the Notes.
 First, there are changes that cannot be made to the Notes without specific investor approval. These include:

·          change of the stated
due date for payment of principal or interest on a series of Notes;
 ·          reduction in the principal amount of, the rate of interest payable on or any premium payable upon redemption of a series of Notes;

·          reduction in the
amount of principal payable upon acceleration of the maturity of a series of Notes following a default;
 ·          change in the place or currency of payment on a series of Notes;

·          impairment of an
investor’s right to sue for payment on a series of Notes on or after the due date for such payment;
 ·          reduction in the percentage of direct holders of a series of Notes whose consent is required to modify or amend the Indenture;

·          reduction in the
percentage of holders of a series of Notes whose consent is required under the Indenture to waive compliance with provisions of, or to waive defaults under, the Indenture; and

·          modification of any of
the provisions described above or other provisions of the Indenture dealing with waiver of defaults or covenants under the Indenture, except to increase the percentages required for such waivers or to provide that other provisions of the Indenture
cannot be changed without the consent of each direct holder affected by the change.
 Second, changes may be made by us and the trustee without any vote by holders of any series of Notes. These include:

·          evidencing the
assumption by a successor of our obligations under the Indenture and any series of Notes;
 ·          adding to our covenants for the benefit of the holders of any series of Notes, or surrendering any of our rights or powers under the
Indenture;
 ·          adding other events of
default for the benefit of holders of any series of Notes;
 ·          making such changes as may be necessary to permit or facilitate the issuance of any series of Notes in bearer or uncertificated form;

·          establishing the forms
or terms of any series of Notes;
 ·          evidencing the acceptance of appointment by a successor trustee; and

·          curing any ambiguity,
correcting any Indenture provision that may be defective or inconsistent with other Indenture provisions or making any other change that does not adversely affect the interests of the holders of any series of Notes in any material
respect.
 Third, we
need a vote by direct holders of Notes owning at least a majority of the principal amount of each series affected by the change to make any other change to the Indenture that is not of the type described in the preceding two paragraphs. A majority

  13 
 

vote of this kind is also required to obtain a waiver of any past default, except a payment default on
principal or interest or concerning a provision of the Indenture that cannot be changed without the consent of the direct holder.

When taking a vote, we will decide how
much principal amount to attribute to a series of Notes by using the dollar equivalent, as determined by our Board of Directors.

Notes will not be considered
outstanding, and therefore will not be eligible to vote, if owned by us or one of our affiliates or if we have deposited or set aside money in trust for their payment or redemption. Notes will also not be eligible to vote if they have been fully
defeased as described below under “Defeasance — Full Defeasance.”
 We will generally be entitled to set any day as a record date for the purpose of determining the direct holders of outstanding Notes that are entitled to vote or take other action
under the Indenture. In some circumstances, generally related to a default by us on a series of the Notes, the trustee will be entitled to set a record date for action by holders.

Trustee

U.S. Bank National Association, as
trustee under the Indenture, has been appointed by us as paying agent and registrar with regard to the Notes. The trustee also acts as an agent for the issuance of our United States commercial paper. The trustee and its affiliates currently provide
cash management and other banking and advisory services to us in the normal course of business and may from time to time in the future provide other banking and advisory services to us in the ordinary course of business, in each case in exchange for
a fee.

         
       Book-Entry; Delivery and Form; Global Note
                 We have obtained the information in this section concerning Clearstream Banking,
société anonyme (“Clearstream”) and Euroclear Bank, S.A./N.V., or its successor, as operator of the Euroclear System (“Euroclear”) and their book-entry systems and procedures from sources that we believe to be
reliable. We take no responsibility for an accurate portrayal of this information. In addition, the description of the clearing systems in this section reflects our understanding of the rules and procedures of Clearstream and Euroclear as they were
in effect at the time of the issuance of the Notes of each series. Those clearing systems could change their rules and procedures at any time.

         
       The Notes are represented by one or more fully registered global notes. Each such global note is deposited with, or on behalf of, a common depositary, and registered in the name of the nominee of the common
depositary for the accounts of Clearstream and Euroclear. Except as set forth below, the global notes may be transferred, in whole and not in part, only to Euroclear or Clearstream or their respective nominees. Investors may hold interests in the
global notes in Europe through Clearstream or Euroclear, either as a participant in such systems or indirectly through organizations that are participants in such systems. Clearstream and Euroclear will hold interests in the global notes on behalf
of their respective participating organizations or customers through customers’ securities accounts in Clearstream’s or Euroclear’s names on the books of their respective depositaries. Book-entry interests in the Notes and all
transfers relating to the Notes are reflected in the book-entry records of Clearstream and Euroclear.
                 The distribution of the Notes is cleared through Clearstream and Euroclear. Any secondary
market trading of book-entry interests in the Notes takes place through Clearstream and Euroclear participants and settles in same-day funds. Owners of book-entry interests in the Notes receive payments relating to their Notes in euro, except as
described under the heading “Payments in Euro.”
                 Clearstream and Euroclear have established electronic securities and payment transfer,
processing, depositary and custodial links among themselves and others, either directly or through custodians and depositaries. These links allow the Notes to be issued, held and transferred among the clearing systems without the physical transfer
of certificates. Special procedures to facilitate clearance and settlement have been established among these clearing systems to trade securities across borders in the secondary market.

         
       The policies of Clearstream and Euroclear will govern payments, transfers, exchanges and other matters relating to the investor’s interest in the Notes held by them. We have no responsibility for any aspect
of the records kept by Clearstream or Euroclear or any of their direct or indirect participants. We also do not supervise these systems in any way.

         
       Clearstream and Euroclear and their participants perform these clearance and settlement functions under agreements they have made with one another or with their customers. Investors should be aware that they are
not obligated to perform or continue to perform these procedures and may modify them or discontinue them at any time.
                 Except as provided below, owners of beneficial interests in the
Notes will not be entitled to have the Notes registered in their names, will not receive or be entitled to receive physical delivery of the Notes in definitive form and will not be considered the owners or holders of the Notes under the Indenture,
including for purposes of receiving any reports delivered by us or the trustee pursuant to 

  14 
 

the Indenture. Accordingly, each person owning a beneficial interest in a Note must rely on the procedures
of the depositary and, if such person is not a participant, on the procedures of the participant through which such person owns its interest, in order to exercise any rights of a holder of Notes.

         
       We have been advised by Clearstream and Euroclear, respectively, as follows:

        
        Clearstream
                 Clearstream advises that it is incorporated under the laws of Luxembourg as a professional
depositary. Clearstream holds securities for its participating organizations (“Clearstream Participants”) and facilitates the clearance and settlement of securities transactions between Clearstream Participants through electronic
book-entry changes in accounts of Clearstream Participants, thereby eliminating the need for physical movement of certificates. Clearstream provides to Clearstream Participants, among other things, services for safekeeping, administration, clearance
and settlement of internationally traded securities and securities lending and borrowing. Clearstream interfaces with domestic markets in several countries. As a professional depositary, Clearstream is subject to regulation by the Luxembourg
Commission for the Supervision of the Financial Sector (Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier). Clearstream Participants are recognized financial institutions around the world, including underwriters, securities brokers and dealers, banks,
trust companies, clearing corporations and certain other organizations and may include the underwriters. Indirect access to Clearstream is also available to others, such as banks, brokers, dealers and trust companies that clear through or maintain a
custodial relationship with a Clearstream Participant, either directly or indirectly.
                 Distributions with respect to interests in the Notes held beneficially through Clearstream
are credited to cash accounts of Clearstream Participants in accordance with its rules and procedures.
                 Euroclear

         
       Euroclear advises that it was created in 1968 to hold securities for participants of Euroclear (“Euroclear Participants”) and to clear and settle transactions between Euroclear Participants through
simultaneous electronic book-entry delivery against payment, thereby eliminating the need for physical movement of certificates and any risk from lack of simultaneous transfers of securities and cash. Euroclear includes various other services,
including securities lending and borrowing and interfaces with domestic markets in several countries. Euroclear is operated by Euroclear Bank S.A./N.V. (the “Euroclear Operator”). All operations are conducted by the Euroclear Operator,
and all Euroclear securities clearance accounts and Euroclear cash accounts are accounts with the Euroclear Operator. Euroclear Participants include banks (including central banks), securities brokers and dealers and other professional financial
intermediaries and may include the underwriters. Indirect access to Euroclear is also available to other firms that clear through or maintain a custodial relationship with a Euroclear Participant, either directly or indirectly.

         
       The Terms and Conditions Governing Use of Euroclear and the related Operating Procedures of the Euroclear System, or the Euroclear Terms and Conditions, and applicable Belgian law govern securities clearance
accounts and cash accounts with the Euroclear Operator. Specifically, these terms and conditions govern:
 ·          transfers of securities and cash within Euroclear;

·          withdrawal of
securities and cash from Euroclear; and
 ·          receipt of payments with respect to securities in Euroclear.
                 All securities in Euroclear are held on a fungible basis without
attribution of specific certificates to specific securities clearance accounts. The Euroclear Operator acts under the Terms and Conditions only on behalf of Euroclear Participants and has no record of or relationship with persons holding securities
through Euroclear Participants.

         
       Distributions with respect to interests in the Notes held beneficially through Euroclear are credited to the cash accounts of Euroclear Participants in accordance with the Euroclear Terms and
Conditions.

         
       Clearance and Settlement Procedures
                 We understand that investors that hold their Notes through Clearstream or Euroclear accounts
will follow the settlement procedures that are applicable to conventional eurobonds in registered form. Notes are credited to the securities custody accounts of Clearstream and Euroclear participants on the business day following the settlement
date, for value on the settlement date. They are credited either free of payment or against payment for value on the settlement date.
 
15 
 

 
 
 

         
       We understand that secondary market trading between Clearstream and/or Euroclear participants will occur in the ordinary way following the applicable rules and operating procedures of Clearstream and Euroclear.
Secondary market trading is settled using procedures applicable to conventional eurobonds in registered form.
                 Investors should be aware that investors will only be able to make and receive deliveries,
payments and other communications involving the Notes through Clearstream and Euroclear on days when those systems are open for business. Those systems may not be open for business on days when banks, brokers and other institutions are open for
business in the United States.

         
       In addition, because of time-zone differences, there may be problems with completing transactions involving Clearstream and Euroclear on the same business day as in the United States. United States investors who
wish to transfer their interests in the Notes, or to make or receive a payment or delivery of the Notes, on a particular day, may find that the transactions will not be performed until the next business day in Luxembourg or Brussels, depending on
whether Clearstream or Euroclear is used.

         
       Clearstream or Euroclear will credit payments to the cash accounts of Clearstream customers or Euroclear participants, as applicable, in accordance with the relevant system’s rules and procedures, to the
extent received by its depositary. Clearstream or the Euroclear Operator, as the case may be, will take any other action permitted to be taken by a holder under the Indenture on behalf of a Clearstream customer or Euroclear participant only in
accordance with its relevant rules and procedures.
                 Clearstream and Euroclear have agreed to the foregoing procedures in order to facilitate
transfers of the Notes among participants of Clearstream and Euroclear. However, they are under no obligation to perform or continue to perform those procedures, and they may discontinue those procedures at any time.

         
       Certificated Notes
                 If the depositary for any of the Notes of any series represented by a registered global note
is at any time unwilling or unable to continue as depositary and a successor depositary is not appointed by us within 90 days, we will issue Notes of that series in definitive form in exchange for the registered global note that had been held by the
depositary. Any Notes issued in definitive form in exchange for a registered global note will be registered in the name or names that the depositary gives to the trustee or other relevant agent of the trustee. It is expected that the
depositary’s instructions will be based upon directions received by the depositary from participants with respect to ownership of beneficial interests in the registered global note that had been held by the depositary. In addition, we may at
any time determine that the Notes of any series shall no longer be represented by a global note and will issue Notes of such series in definitive form in exchange for such global note pursuant to the procedure described above.

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