Ladies and gentlemen, dear shareholders, greetings. With the Supervisory Board and Management Board, I'm delighted to welcome you to the Annual General Meeting of Solutions 30. This general assembly begins at 10:00 A.M., Central European Time, along with a scrutinizer and a secretary. I suggest that Katarzyna Kuszewska could be appointed secretary, and Pierre-Alexandre , a lawyer, as a scrutinizer. Without further ado, Pierre-Alexandre will tell you about the formalities to take part in this assembly.
Many thanks, Mr. Chair. Ladies and gentlemen, dear shareholders, in keeping with the Luxembourg legislation, you need to hold at least one option and in order to take part in this AGM. We have all suffered from the years of restriction caused by the Covid pandemic, which is fortunately behind us, and as there are now no longer any travel restrictions, we are delighted to be holding this in person. However, the management board has also decided to stream this through video conferencing for all shareholders who cannot attend in person. In view of the fact that a general assembly is a private meeting, I would like to inform journalists, analysts, and any other persons who are attending this general, this AGM, that no recording, either audio or video, can be made. In terms of the voting process, Solutions 30 has taken every measure to allow you to vote either by mail, by proxy, or by Votaccess . The proceedings will be explained later in the course of this AGM.
As specified in the summons letter, only those who are present in person can ask questions. All shareholders who are not physically present have been invited to ask their own questions in advance, as soon as possible, by sending them to the company by June 12, 2023. These questions will be addressed during the presentation. A Q and A session open to shareholders in attendance will be held at the end of the meeting. Let me remind you that in accordance with the law on commercial companies and articles of association of Solutions 30, no quorum is required for an AGM. Neither the law nor the company's bylaws require any stronger majority for the adoption of resolutions at an AGM, so that resolutions on the agenda for this AGM will be adopted by a simple majority of votes validly cast.
Please also note that the documents relating to the regularity of convening of this AGM have been filed on the desk, have been tabled. The documents and information required by law and company bylaws have been made available to shareholders in accordance with conditions and deadlines set out by the company's bylaws and current regulations. The notice of meeting was published on May 16th in the Recueil Électronique des Sociétés et Associations and in the Tageblatt, which is a Luxembourg newspaper, and on the company's website. Notice of the meeting was sent to shareholders by letter on May 16th, 2023. Publication required by law and a copy of the letter sent to shareholders have been filed with the AGM's office. Certificates of shareholders and proxies and postal voting forms have also been filed. Thank you very much.
In view of the foregoing, I hereby confirm that the shareholders of Solutions 30 have been duly convened to this AGM, that the notices of meeting were published in accordance with applicable regulations. The AGM, duly constituted, may validly deliberate. I now yield the floor to Pierre-Alexandre Deghaye to read out the items on the agenda of this AGM.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. The agenda of the AGM are as follows: point one, presentation of the management report and consolidated management report of the company's management board. A report of the statutory auditor on the company's annual financial statements and consolidated financial statement for the year ending December 31st, 2022, as well as observations from the company's supervisory board. Second point, approval of the company's financial statements for year end December 31st, 2022.
Approval of the consolidated financial statements for year ending December 31, 2022. Four , allocation of profit. Five, discharge be granted to the members of the management and supervisory boards. Point six, acknowledgement of a resignation and elections of members of the supervisory board. Re-election of Mr. Alexander Sator as a member of the supervisory board. Re-election of Mr. Yves Kerveillan t in the supervisory board. Acknowledgment of Mr. Francesco Serafini 's resignation from the supervisory board, and election of Mrs. Paola Bruno as a new member of the supervisory board. Point seven, approval of the reappointment of PKF Audit & Conseil S.à r.l. as statutory auditors until the general meeting, called to approve financial statements for the year ending December 31, 2023. Point eight, submission of the compensation report for an advisory opinion. Nine, approval of supervisory board remuneration. Gianbeppi Fortis , over to you.
Thank you, Pierre- Alexandre. First of all, let me briefly remind you who Solutions 30 is today, look back at the results for 2022, Amaury Boilot will present the results for the year. I will review the transformation plan with Katarzyna Kuszewsk a, followed by the group's outlook, before handing over to Thomas Kremer, who will talk about governance. We will deal with the questions received in advance of this AGM and questions from shareholders who are in the room, we shall vote on the resolutions. Solutions 30 was founded in 2003. Its ambition was to offer multi-technical services on a local level to major groups in the sectors of telecoms, energy, and IT, who wished to outsource all or part of their field work, for households or businesses.
20 years later, the group operates in 10 European countries and in three business lines. One, connectivity solutions, our business in the telco sector, deployment of fixed line of landlines, and to a less extent, mobile networks, subscriber connection, maintenance of installations. Second, energy solutions. Our activities in deploying smart meters, charging stations for EVs, solar panels, or connected solutions to manage energy consumption. Third, Technology Solutions, which brings together all of the group's other activities in IT, security, Payment Solutions, and Connected Health. Solutions 30's business is based on pooling of skills and resources to act with a quick turnaround time, wherever the group operates. The group's profitability is based on three pillars of operational efficiency, which we're seeking to optimize. Volumes: Solutions 30 favors markets where its action and operating methods can be standardized to maximize economies of scale. Second, density.
With a dense territorial network, Solutions 30 can reduce response times and optimize technician travel time. Third, automation. Smartfix, the group's IT platform, helps to automate repetitive and time-consuming tasks, and optimizes technician schedules and itineraries real time. Establishing and optimizing this model is the first barrier to entry in our market. This business model has allowed us to build a group that today generates sales of EUR 905 million, employs 15,000 persons in Europe, and contributes to major sustainable development challenges, including training young people in forward-looking professions, and ensuring that everyone has access to the innovations that change our daily lives. Solutions 30 is at the heart of the digital transformation and energy transition, which are driving group's growth.
Since 2003, across all areas where we operate, we have built a loyal customer base, including Europe's leading telcos, gas and electricity suppliers, and major players in the digital world. The group boasts almost 100% loyalty rate, including in times of crisis, which testifies to the quality of service delivered by our teams and our customers' confidence in our ability to support them in key business areas. Our technicians work directly with end users, be they households or businesses, and are the face of our customers to their own customers. Our technicians are therefore a key link in the user experience and customer relationship management. Our teams are highly integrated into our customers' processes through the connection of IT systems, shared tasks or pooled resources, information feedback, or additional sales.
This mode of operation, with high performance indicators and the signing of multi-year contracts between three and five years usually, which are often new, renewed by tacit agreement, has allowed Solutions 30 to forge long-term relationships. The group's relationships with its largest customers are spread across different contracts, business segments, and geographical areas, thus reducing our commercial dependence. If these contracts were aggregated, Solutions 30's largest customer would account for 16% of sales in 2022. Over to Amaury Boilot, who will comment the results for fiscal 2022. Just let me remind you that 2022 was a difficult year, a year of transition after 90 years of uninterrupted, profitable, double-digit growth. 2022 was also a year full of positive signs for the future, particularly in terms of our ability to capture new, high-potential markets wherever we operate. Solutions 30's markets are set for very sustained growth in the years ahead, our group is particularly well equipped to capture it. Amaury, over to you.
Ladies and gentlemen, dear shareholders, greetings. For the full 2022 fiscal year, Solutions 30's consolidated sales amount stands at EUR 904.6 million, up 3.5% versus 2021, 1.4% organically. After relatively stable sales over the first nine months, the group returned to double-digit growth in Q4, up 11.6%, +10.1% on an organic basis. As this graph shows, the excellent momentum of our business in Benelux and other countries offset the downturn in the French market, which is consolidating after 20 years of very rapid growth.
The geographical rebalancing of our business is underway, with sales in France for the first time in 2022, accounting for less than half of group revenues. Benelux, where sales are up 38%, accounts for 24.5% of total sales. Other countries, which together posted growth of 24.5%, account for 28% of total group sales. During the year, the group continued the operational transition of its business in France. The telco market has reached maturity there, while smart meter rollouts have been completed. Going forward, other markets will revitalize growth in France, particularly those linked to the energy transition, electric mobility, solar panels, or installation of connected object items for energy savings. Today, these markets are still penalized by supply chain issues, although it's tending to ease.
They're also in the process of being structured, and we're getting organized to capture the expected growth. In Benelux and other countries, growth momentum is continuing. Belgium, the Netherlands, and Italy have begun to roll out fiber optics, while Germany, the U.K., and Poland, to a lesser extent, are just getting underway with a few pilot projects. Here, too, we are ready to capture growth as we did in France and as we are doing in Benelux, by demonstrating the replicability of our model. As a result of the fiber market start up in Benelux and Italy, and the downturn in smart meter deployment business, the group's exposure to telco activities increased over the year, and the sector now accounts for 77% of our business.
If we now look at the income statement, fiscal 2022 shows contrasting performance from one country to another, we have faced opposing issues. On the one hand, adaptation and transformation in markets, in transitioning markets in France, on the other hand, the need to manage an increase in workloads, which put pressure on our margins. In the course of the year, we renegotiated our commercial terms to cope with inflation, there is a time lag, negotiations are continuing with a number of customers, particularly in France, because the initial negotiations were not satisfactory. We also had to absorb costs related to the implementation of enhanced governance, compliance, and risk management processes, the consolidation of our CSR policy.
The group therefore reported an Adjusted EBITDA of EUR 46.7 million, resulting in an EBITDA margin of 5.2%, which is well below our normative levels, which are above 10%. The Adjusted EBITDA includes EUR 20.9 million related to transformation operations in France, to which I'll return in a moment. EUR 10.1 million required to adapt our structures as a result of the end of smart meter rollouts in France. Adjusted for these items, the Adjusted EBITDA would be EUR 77.7 million, or 8.6% of sales. Operating costs were up 9% versus 2021, accounting for 85.6% of sales versus 81.3% a year earlier. While structural costs were up 2.9%, accounting for 9.2% of sales versus 9.3% in the previous year.
After a recognition of operating depreciation and provisions in the amount of EUR 18.9 million, and after amortization of the right of use of leased assets in accordance with IFRS 16 standards, in the amount of EUR 28.1 million, i.e., EUR 47 million in total, the Adjusted EBIT reaches EUR 0.3 million. As you can see on this slide, the entire decline in EBITDA originates in France, while Benelux countries and other countries grew. In France, the group posted an EBITDA margin of 4.9%. Adjusted for the above-mentioned items, EBITDA margin is 12.2%. In Benelux and other countries, EBITDA margins were respectively 12.8% and 2.8%.
We take a closer look at what took place in France, the 16% drop in sales after six years of growth averaging 34% per annum, and the drop in profitability can be explained by two points. First, and essentially, our telecoms business. The deployment and construction of the fiber optic network have reached maturity. Add to that, an effect that was less expected, sudden return to normal numbers and subscriber numbers after the exceptionally high peak while exiting COVID. Today, the number of fiber subscribers continues to rise, but at much more moderate levels. Faced with the situation, players in the sector, customers, service providers, subcontractors, have had to adapt very quickly and adjust their modes of cooperation.
The operational conditions for contracts, particularly one of the group's biggest contracts in France, have become significantly tougher in the telecom sector, with a geographical redistribution of market share and repercussions for the entire industry. As for us, we gained market share in the Paris region and in the southwest region, against Scopelec, and overall preserved our sales and market share on this contract. In this geographical redistribution, we had lost market share to Scopelec, who was running into serious financial difficulties and was ultimately liquidated in late 2022. In the southeast, we were Scopelec's deputy, in a sense, performing the work that they were unable to. We therefore had to keep our structures in overcapacity in that area to cope with occasional peaks and compensate for possible failure of our competitor.
This weighed significantly on our margins in 2022. We chose to preserve this overcapacity, which allowed us, when Scopelec went under, to pick up the entire market. We've had been operating this contract since the start of the year, and this will be reflected in revenues starting from Q2 2023, when Scopelec began operating the contract a year previously. The overall impact of this transition phase in the telecom sector cost us EUR 20.9 million in EBITDA. Second factor weighing on margins, the expected end of smart meter rollouts in France. This could not be offset by the ramp-up of activities linked to the energy transition, given the shortage in components that is delaying the takeoff of the markets. Costs of adaptation amounted to EUR 10.1 million.
In Benelux, sales grew by 38% on a purely organic basis. This great performance was underpinned by the ramp-up of contracts in the rollout of fiber optics and the ongoing installation of smart meters in Flanders. This very rapid ramp-up requires both recruitment and training of technicians and a strengthening of our management structures. This weighs on the EBITDA margin, which nevertheless remains high at 12.8%, and the double-digit profitability reflects the group's historical business model. Critical mass, over EUR 100 million in sales in a given area, allows us to capitalize on the increase in standardized service and the density of its geographical coverage. In other countries, the group posted EUR 256.8 million in sales, up 24.5%, 15.5% of which, organic.
Sales were driven by strong momentum of operations in Italy and Poland and the U.K. Controlling operating expenses and revising pricing conditions on certain contracts allowed us to improve the EBITDA margin, which was up at 2.2% in these countries, which have not yet reached critical mass. Fiscal 2022 includes EUR 11.8 million in non-current operating expenses, essentially restructuring costs, EUR 7.9 million, and exceptional expenses incurred in response to the violent smear campaign waged against it in 2020 and 2021, EUR 2.4 million. Amortization of customer relationships are virtually unchanged at EUR 14.4 million in 2022, compared with EUR 14.7 million in 2021. The net financial is in the red by EUR 17.1 million.
Important to note, this includes EUR 11 million in non-cash items for the adjustment of the value of earn-outs in connection with the buyout of minority interest in the group's German subsidiaries. This valuation of earn-outs is good news because it reflects great prospects for new contracts in that market. Interest rates, expenses remain stable at 2.7% versus 2.8% in the previous year. Tax amounted to EUR 5.6 million versus EUR 5.4 million, our tax rate is therefore 12.8%, 18.9% if you exclude deferred taxes. Group share of net income showed a loss of EUR 50.1 million, compared with a profit of EUR 21.5 million in 2021.
Gianbeppi . Let's move on to the balance sheet. The group's financial structure is still very solid, with a net debt to EBITDA of 0.83 and a net debt to equity ratio of 26.7%. As of December 31st, 2022, the group's shareholders' equity stood at some EUR 145.3 million. The group's cash position stood at EUR 124.4 million. Gross bank debt was at EUR 70.4 million. As a result, the group had cash net of bank debt of EUR 54 million at the end of December 2022, compared with EUR 52.3 million at the end of December 2021.
Total net debt, which includes EUR 67.4 million in rental debt and IFRS 16 and EUR 25.5 million in potential financial debt linked to earn-outs and put options, came to EUR 38.9 million, compared with EUR 33.1 a year earlier. outstanding receivables assigned under the group's factoring program stood at EUR 77.3 million as of the 31st of December 2022, compared with EUR 92 million, December 31st 2021. This factoring program is a non-recourse program, therefore it's deconsolidating. The fall in outstanding receivables reflects the increased workload on new contracts for which the factoring program is currently being set up. Working capital requirements reduced by EUR 40 million, is negative at -EUR 64.7 million.
In particular, this includes advances negotiated with several of the group's customers to contribute to the effort required to launch significant new contracts, particularly in the field of fiber deployment. This explains the improvement in working capital requirements despite the increase in workload. Cash flow stood at EUR 31.1 million , compared with EUR 70.2 million in 2021. Working capital restated for non-cash items fell by EUR 27 million . Capital expenditure amounted to EUR 21 million or 2.3% of sales, compared with 1.7% just a year earlier. These investments mainly concerned our proprietary IT platform, which is the backbone of our organization. This enables us to pilot our operations, to organize, optimize, and plan our interventions and associated logistics, and to manage back-office support.
This leads to an overall free cash flow of EUR 37.2 million, up by almost EUR 5 million compared with 2021. We have put our M&A policy on hold in the view of the macroeconomic context, and so cash flows linked to acquisitions were limited to -EUR 4.2 million. Net cash used in financing activities amounted to -EUR 39 million, including EUR 29.3 million for repayment of rental debt on the vehicle fleet. To sum up, this transitional year enabled us to maintain a solid financial structure with refinancing of our debt to the tune of some EUR 100 million. This refinancing demonstrates the real confidence of our long-standing banking partners, despite the allegations made against us, at a time when credit conditions are tightening.
For 2023, we will continue to give priority to growth, and to this end, we will continue to pay particular attention to our costs and centralized cash management. The approved statutory auditors have certified the group's consolidated and parent company financial statements without qualification, based on the procedures performed in accordance with applicable rules and standards. The auditors' report is available on the group's website and in its annual report. The annual general meeting will be asked to renew PKF's mandate as statutory auditor for a new period of one year. I'd now like to hand over to Gianbeppi Fortis and Katarzyna Kuszewska to speak about the group's transformation and outlook.
Thank you, Amaury Boilot. This Annual General meeting and Solutions 30's 20th anniversary in 2023 provide an opportunity to review the group's recent developments, which will enable us to pass that symbolic milestone of EUR 1 billion in sales this year. Since 2015, the group's growth has accelerated sharply, driven firstly by the planned fiber, the fiber plan, and the rollout of smart meters in France. Then thanks to the replication of our model elsewhere in Europe, particularly in Belgium, where we have enjoyed great success in recent years. In just a few years, the group has grown from an SME to an international group. Present in fully 10 countries and employing some 15,000, including more than 7,200 salaried staff.
Our group boasts 86 nationalities in its workforce, 800 customers, 200 training centers, 21 back office sites and call centers, we are preparing to top the EUR 1 billion mark in sales this year. Over the last five years, we have implemented a transformation plan that has enabled us to build on solid processes to take our company even further in markets that present enormous opportunities. Our medium-term sales target is now EUR 2.5 billion, I'd like to hand now over to Katarzyna, who's going to be presenting the processes we implemented and the results of our transformation plan.
Ladies and gentlemen, dear shareholders, as part of the transformation plan mentioned by Gianbeppi Fortis, to accompany the acceleration of our development, we have strengthened our compliance, risk management, and ESG standards and requirements.
This transformation, initiated in 2019, has accelerated significantly since 2021, when we began working closely with a leading international consultancy to strengthen our governance framework and apply the best practices in risk management and compliance. Norms, standards, and procedures have been defined throughout the organization to govern all business relationships between the group and its partners. In 2022, a large part of the work involved implementing these new harmonized operating rules and training and raising the awareness of all group employees, which Nathalie Duchesne , our Group Risk Compliance and ESG Director, and I set out to do. Through this transformation plan, Solutions 30 is consolidating its foundations and fundamentals to better build its future.
With the aim of strengthening its governance framework and applying industry best standards, Solutions 30 has defined new control processes and drawn up and then deployed a risk manual and internal control system. The group subsequently appointed Nathalie Duchesne as Group Risk Compliance and ESG Director. Nathalie has rolled out the control processes in each country and department, relying on an identified network of local contacts. As I said earlier, there has been a major training and awareness-raising effort at all levels of the group to reinforce compliance and risk mitigation processes. Solutions 30 has also implemented a new third-party verification policy, appointing a dedicated team of eight people to carry out systematic checks on subcontractors and business partners. This approach is supported by our sourcing platform, MySupplace, which currently includes 3,000 partner companies.
This collaborative platform serves not only as a subcontractor recruitment platform, but also as a compliance tool. It enables us to check, analyze, and archive the compliance documents supplied by these companies. We have set ourselves the ambitious target of analyzing 100% of our partners. This platform and this organization are strong competitive advantages for our group and should enable us to anticipate, address, and, if necessary, control any potential risks associated with these third parties. Over the past five years, Solutions 30 has strengthened and renewed the skills of all its governing bodies, whether it be the Supervisory Board, Management Board, and the Executive Committee. More than 50% of these bodies have added new members.
In recent years, the supervisory board welcomed five new members out of a total of seven, with the integration of solid expertise in finance, audit, compliance, governance, ESG, and corporate strategy. To keep pace with these developments, Solutions 30 has strengthened its code of conduct and anti-corruption policies, once again focusing on training and raising awareness among its teams. A whistleblowing platform, which has also proven its effectiveness right up to the resolution of situations, enables all weak signals, misconduct or non-compliance or internal risks to be reported. Last but not least, we have taken a comprehensive approach to simplify our legal organization chart, in particular, to facilitate internal control. Solutions 30 has eliminated almost 50 legal entities, mainly through intergroup restructuring. This work of reorganization and transformation, which I took over in 2021, involved the entire group organization.
It involves a determined commitment by the teams and a continuous improvement effort to maintain the high standards of governance in terms of compliance and risk management as well. Thank you for your attention, now I'll hand back over to Gianbeppi Fortis.
Thank you, Katarzyna. Thanks to this transformation, Solutions 30 now has a stronger structure and governance structure. We are now gearing up to embark on the new phase in our history, one that will see the group grow once again to sales of EUR 2.5 billion. To meet market needs, customer expectations, and transformation challenges that lie ahead, Solutions 30 is now organized around three complementary bodies. First of all, a supervisory board with enhanced powers to fully play its supervisory role. Secondly, a four-member management board, which will enable the group to retain its agility and its responsiveness in decision-making.
A Comex extended to include support functions in country management, which works closely with the managing board. Thomas Kremer will return later to the composition of the supervisory board. The management board will now comprise four members, as João Martinho 's term of office will not be renewed. I remain chairman of the board, while Luc Brusselaers stays the Chief Revenue Officer. Wojciech Pomykała , who joined the board last February after successfully developing Poland, becomes Chief Operations Officer. He will be responsible for the company's operational management, including information systems and the group's ongoing transformation. Amaury Boilot, who has a wealth of operational and financial experience within the group, has been appointed General Manager of the group's activities in France.
His mission will be to support the country in finalizing its transformation, to continue the transition to new high-potential energy business, and to improve the profitability of the group's activities. He has also been appointed Corporate Secretary and will be responsible for the group's financial and legal support functions. The executive board will be supported by an enlarged executive committee. Reporting to Amaury Boilot, Jonathan Crauwel s has been a designated group CFO. His mission will be to support the management of our activities in the context of strong growth. Previously, he successfully supported the profitable cash generating growth of Solutions 30 in Belgium and doubling the Unit-T sales. He also played a key role in setting up this joint venture with Telenet in 2018.
Since that time, Solutions 30 has structured its ESG commitments and continued to strengthen them. In 2022, we have intensified our actions with the implementation of a number of measures that will enable us to better manage our progress towards our objectives. The powers and responsibilities of the strategy committee attached to the supervisory board, which is now called the Strategy and ESG Committee, have been strengthened to ensure that environmental, social, and governance, ESG, criteria truly permeate all aspects and decisions of the company. We have strengthened the ESG team with the arrival of two additional people, a CSA manager, as well as the arrival of an analyst. We are currently working with a specialist to make our strategy, objectives, and ESG performance indicators easier to understand. We're also working on improving the measurement of CO2 emissions via a dedicated project.
We're carrying out an awareness-raising campaign among our teams through dedicated internal communication and promotional activities. We have deployed the policies, procedures, and codes of conduct resulting from our GRC project launch in 2021, particularly in terms of group ethics and group compliance. Finally, we have set up a whistleblowing platform. The group's focus on ESG has always been on recruitment and supporting talent in the professions of tomorrow. For several years now, we have been implementing a policy of recruitment, training, and professionalization. When we recruit, as we're doing in Belgium right now to support our ramp-up there, we give young people, some of whom have failed in their initial education, a chance at their first job. We're also giving a chance to people undergoing professional retraining to position them in the digital and energy professions of the future.
In 2022, young people under 30 years of age accounted for almost 40% of our hires, and we provided an average of 25 hours of training per employee, mainly at our 24 training centers. With respect to governance, it should be emphasized that the members of our supervisory board are all independent, and the board's skills were strengthened in 2022, specifically in terms of ethics and compliance. For 2023, we have set ourselves new targets in terms of controlling our energy consumption, recruiting, and increasing the number of women in our management teams and monitoring our service providers. As I already had the opportunity of saying on many occasions, despite the air pocket of 2022 in France and only in France, the group today enjoys extremely solid growth prospects. The telecoms sector remains a powerful growth driver for the group.
The health crisis has accelerated plans to roll out ultra-high speed broadband infrastructures across Europe. The projects are multiplying to close the digital gap in many major European countries. At the top of the slide, you'll see the countries with the greatest potential. Belgium is one of them. It's one where the group benefits from a competitive advantage that is extremely solid. Sales have grown nearly 40% in 2022 and by almost 80% in the first quarter of 2023. This sustained growth dynamic will continue in line with market growth. In Italy, we're making significant progress with TIM. We are responding to calls for tender and making progress with that.
Acquiring new subscriptions, of course, is our core business, but to access this part of the market, we sometimes have to position ourselves in the upstream part of the market, such as what we're doing now is to deal with this new activity. In Germany, the market went through a very chaotic startup phase, mainly due to the administrative red tape in the country, but it seems ready to take off now. We're seeing massive investment by operators in major projects in an imminently strategic market of 4.1 million households, of which only 9% are currently equipped.
In the U.K., where the FTTH network is still limited, we are in the process of deploying our offering, drawing on the skills of the English teams, our ability to source labor in continental Europe, given the local labor shortage, and our expertise acquired in France and in Spain and the Benelux countries. The vested contract signed with Community Fibre in early 2023 bears witness to the relevance of this positioning. It is the second contract of its kind after the one signed with Telenet in Belgium. This type of contract, we are very close to the customer. Our economic and commercial interests are perfectly aligned, and we are the only service provider to date to offer this type of partnership. Other countries with good growth potential are the Netherlands and Poland, but they are less buoyant than the above-mentioned countries.
Finally, France and Spain are the two most advanced territories in Europe in terms of FTTH rollouts, and growth there will be moderate. However, this so-called moderate growth needs to be put into perspective, as many markets would like to see an average five year growth projections of +5% or +10% per year. One of the Group's key growth drivers is the energy sector. Growth in this market is set to accelerate over the next few years, and as it is indispensable when it comes to energy sovereignty. With the war in Ukraine, this subject has been brought back to the fore.
By the end of 2022, most of the Group's energy sales in France and Belgium will still be generated by the installation of smart electricity and water meters for Fluvius, also, and increasingly, by new activities linked to the energy transition, which are beginning to take over from the historical business despite supply chain problems. In this business, the Group has solid potential based on four key areas. First of all, the deployment of smart meters in countries that are not yet fully equipped. This potential is fairly limited, but we are keeping a close eye on what could happen in Germany and in Poland in the future. The second area is the growth of electric mobility and the need for recharging stations for electric vehicles. We are well-positioned in this market, which is still highly fragmented.
By 2025, over 6 million chargers should be installed, and 15 million by 2030. McKinsey estimates the investment required at around EUR 17 billion in Europe over the period from 2020 to 2030. The REPowerEU plan, which aims to strengthen European Union's energy independence, revises upwards the targets for integrating renewables into the European Union's energy policy. The European Commission intends to put the emphasis on solar energy. It has earmarked a budget of some EUR 300 billion between now and 2030, and has made photovoltaic panels compulsory for public buildings and shopping centers from 2025 on. This obligation is extended to new housing from 2029. Various European countries are beginning to implement this strategy, as in France, where solar panels have been made compulsory on outdoor parking lots.
This represents real potential for the Group, which is one of the top five players in the installation of solar panels and photovoltaic power plants in France. Network upgrades are made essential by renewables. Faced with the ever-increasing number of energy sources and the ever-increasing need, whether for recharging vehicles or using heat pumps, electricity grids have to adapt. Injecting intermittent flows of renewable energy into the grid represents a major challenge for their development. The European Commission estimates that over EUR 500 billion will be needed to invest in electricity grids between 2020 and 2030. Of this amount, EUR 400 billion should be allocated to electricity distribution networks over the period 2020-2030, including EUR 170 billion for digitalization.
We clearly have a role to play in this sector, and we are starting to win contracts, such as the Fluvius contract in Flanders, for example. In 2023, we will also be pursuing the action plan we launched in 2022. In France, first of all, we will need to return to profitability and growth. To this end, we have reviewed our organization and strengthened our positioning in the mature telecoms sector. We are integrating new activities in the southeast of France, and this will be more visible in our figures, starting the second quarter, 2023. At the same time, we will be continuing our efforts to strengthen our positions in energy transition markets. In terms of profitability, we are pursuing our efforts to increase synergies between activities and support the reallocation of our technicians to higher value-added businesses.
The 22 activities in France have also prompted us to relaunch a medium-term strategic planning process, to better anticipate changes in our markets, with the aim of fully appreciating the duration of the technological cycles that underlie our activities, and thus to implement the necessary operational transitions upstream. Everywhere, we intend to continue negotiating prices with our customers in line with observed inflation levels. Our biggest challenge is to position ourselves in the markets of the future, drawing on both local expertise and our business skills acquired in all of the areas where we are present. This is what will enable us to reach critical mass wherever we operate. To capture the growth of our markets, a key challenge is to provide the right skills in the right place at the right time.
To improve the sourcing and integration of our subcontractors in a fast-changing labor market, we have developed a intranet sourcing and staffing platform called MySupplace, which Katarzyna spoke about with you. This platform, in development since 2020, makes it possible to facilitate the search for resources for one-off or recurring services, and manages the entire relationship with the subcontractor according to a standardized procedure. The platform is an integral part of our new processes, enabling us to carry out multiple compliance checks in the context of third-party verification. In 18 months, this platform has made it possible to recruit 1,000 technicians in France, while the database now lists over 3,000 companies, representing a potential 40,000 technicians, a major competitive advantage in booming markets with high demand for skilled labor.
This platform enables us to respond rapidly to temporary or recurring peaks in activity, such as when bad weather destroys facilities and requires us to send extra technicians out into the field in an urgent situation, or when we need very specific skills to meet a customer requirement. Initially deployed in France, this platform is now used in all of the countries where we operate. The good momentum at the end of 2022 and the beginning of 2023 supports our double-digit growth targets for the full year, despite a geopolitical and economic context that remains uncertain. This growth will enable us to pass the symbolic milestone of EUR 1 billion in sales this year, and as we indicated a few weeks ago, we can look forward to a gradual improvement in our margin throughout this year. The Solutions30 model is solid and well proven.
In 2022, we experienced an air pocket, the only one in 20 years of double-digit profitable growth. We are well positioned in structurally buoyant markets. We have solid expertise and a proven ability to duplicate our model, which we are currently doing in the Benelux region. We are therefore looking forward to the future with confidence and determination. We are now targeting sales of around EUR 2.5 billion in the medium term, with a double-digit EBITDA margin.
A quick update on the start of the year. In the wake of the historically high Q4, 2022, it set a new quarterly sales record for the group. The year got off to a very good start, with revenues at EUR 255.3 million, up 14.6%. Over to Thomas Kremer, who will give us an update about the group's governance.
Thank you, Gianbeppi. Ladies and gentlemen, dear shareholders, good morning. This is the first time that I'm speaking at an AGM. Allow me to introduce myself, Thomas Kremer. I have been a member of the Supervisory Board at Solutions 30 for a year. I hold a doctorate in law from the University of Bonn. I started my career in 2003 at thyssenkrupp, a large German industrial group.
Within that group, I worked in a variety of positions, chief legal officer, chief compliance officer. In 2012, I joined Deutsche Telekom as a member of the Executive Board in charge of data protection, legal affairs, compliance, security, internal audit, and risk management. I was also a member of the Government Commission on the German Corporate Governance Code. I currently teach at the University of Bonn, business law and corporate governance. I therefore have good knowledge of the telecom sector, of the issues of governance and compliance, which are major key topics for Solutions 30. Solutions 30 governance is based on a dual organization with the Supervisory Board and the Executive Board, the Management Board. In this mode of governance allows the group to be particularly agile and responsive in the decision-making process.
Gianbeppi Fortis explains the changes in governance that are currently underway in both boards and in the board and in the executive committee. I will not say much more about that. The supervisory board is composed of seven members. All members are independent. There are three specialized committees. The remit of these committees has been expanded in recent months. The audit committee has been enriched with the addition of risk and compliance. The strategy committee integrates ESG criteria. The responsibilities of the appointments and remuneration committee remain unchanged. The supervisory board and its committees met 16 times in the year 2022. The rate of attendance was 97%, which testifies our strong commitment to the group. Solutions 30 is submitting for shareholder approval, first, the reappointment of Mr. Alexander Sator and Yves Kerveillant
And the appointment of Mrs. Paola Bruno, in replacement of Mr. Francesco Serafini. Allow me to take this opportunity to thank Francesco Serafini for his invaluable contribution to the work of the supervisory board, and to pay tribute to his ten years of commitment to the Solutions 30 group. Many thanks to you, Francesco. The supervisory board would thus be composed of three historical members, so to speak: Alexander Sator, Caroline Tissot, Jean-Paul Cottet , who joined before 2018, 2023, and who guarantee the stability of the group's governance. Three more recently appointed members, Yves Kerveillant , Pascale Mourvillier , who's in this room, and myself who have helped to expand the board's expertise in matters of finance, audit, risk, and compliance.
A new member with the appointment of Paola Bruno, which will help to further strengthen the diversity and expertise of the supervisory board, particularly in the field of market finance, corporate finance, and strategy. Paola Bruno's experience in both Italy and the U.K., which are some of the group's key markets, is a major asset, and guarantees that complementarity persists in the supervisory board in the field of international experience. Paola Bruno has 30 years' experience in investment banking, financial consulting, and asset management. She shall also contribute her expertise in strategic planning and corporate development, investor relations, and compliance, notably in times of crisis. Also note that Paola Bruno holds several directorships, as detailed in the preparatory documents, sent out for this AGM. Ladies and gentlemen, the approval by the annual general meeting, the renewal of terms of office for Mr. Sator and Mr. Kerveillant , and the appointment of Mrs. Bruno, would help to strengthen the expertise and diversity of the Supervisory Board.
In particular, the Supervisory Board would thus include 43% of women in allowing Solutions 30 to comply with the European Directive, Women on Boards, ahead of its transposition into Luxembourg law. Three nationalities would still be represented on the Supervisory Board: Italian, French, and German. This next slide shows the main achievements of the Supervisory Board, the main issues discussed and decisions taken by the board at its meetings, throughout 2022. These items are described in more detail in the group's annual report, available on the website. We have taken every care for the Management Board to implement the group's strategy.
As Gianbeppi Fortis and Amaury Boilot explained, 2022 was a tough year. It also allowed us to consolidate the group's positions on the market and to demonstrate the group's ability to grow. The supervisory board met six times this year with a rate of attendance of 91%. This slide about the main achievements shows the main points examined by the committees. The committees serve to assist the supervisory board in supervising and controlling the executive board. They prepare the board's decisions on specific subjects within their areas of expertise. For instance, we closely monitored the implementation of the transformation plan mentioned by Katarzyna to facilitate its follow-up by the supervisory board. The appointments and compensation committee met twice in the course of 2022 with an attendance rate of 100%. The audit, risks, and compliance committee met five times.
Attendance rate, again, was 100%. The Strategy in ESG Committee met 3 times with an attendance rate of 89%. Ladies and gentlemen, compensation granted to Supervisory Board members is the strict application of the policy adopted by the Supervisory Board on May 10th, 2022, and submitted to the consultative vote of shareholders at the AGM held on June 16th, 2022. This policy links the remuneration of Board members to their effective attendance in Board and committee meetings. Remuneration levels for Board members have been devised based on a benchmark, summary of which was made available to the shareholders prior to the vote at the AGM of June 16th, 2022. For fiscal year 2022, total compensation of the Supervisory Board remained below the maximum amount granted. It is composed of 66% of fixed compensation and 34% variable.
Ladies and gentlemen, the compensation policy for the Solutions 30 Management Board aims to align the interests of the group with those of the company and its shareholders by creating a strong link between performance and compensation. Within this context, it aims to encourage the achievement of ambitious objectives and the creation of long-term value by setting demanding performance criteria. There are therefore three elements to the compensation granted to members of the Management Board. One, an annual base salary that may vary according to the roles and responsibilities of each member. Second , a variable portion of the compensation based on annual targets, reviewed and validated each year by the Supervisory Board, based on the Appointments and Compensation Committee's recommendations.
Third, a long-term incentive and profit-sharing plan under which shares or stock options can be granted based on performance, which serves to encourage the long-term commitment of management board members in the best interests of shareholders. The fixed compensation for members of the executive board did not change between 2021 and 2022. The variable compensation was awarded in the amount of 29% of the maximum possible amount, in view of the fact that, a large proportion of the targets were not reached. The method of calculation and targets are described in the group's annual report. Lastly, the long-term incentive plan came to maturity last year and has not yet been renewed. As the share price is now lower than the price to exercise the options, the conditions to exercise the plan have not yet been met. Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for your attention.
Let me now hand over to Pierre-Alexandre for the vote on the resolutions. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Kremer. Prior to the vote on the various resolutions, let me remind you of the formalities. As mentioned earlier, the AGM, one could attend the AGM either in person or remotely, and therefore, all of the shareholders were invited to vote in the following way: either by mail using a paper form, or by sending a proxy that was sent to each shareholder, and shares to the bearer could obtain these through their bank. There's also an internet platform that was open from 9:00 A.M. on May 16th to June at 3:00 P.M.
Those voting by mail, by proxy, with a paper form, had to send back their form on June 13th at midnight at the latest for the proxies, and of course, all of these needed to be filled out properly. Only those who had held shares at the recording date, June 2nd, 2023, were entitled to vote in the present AGM. For shareholders who are physically present in this room, and we are delighted to welcome them, they received a paper voting form stating their name, first and last name, and if representing a corporate person, their details thereof. The person, and the number of shares also with voting rights, are also stated on these forms in order for the form to reflect the precise number of shares it represents.
As for the formalities and manners in which the paper form should be filled out, let me specify that one must only check the black box. In order for your vote to be valid, you must comply with the instructions, and no other marks can be applied to the paper apart from checking the box. There are three options: in favor, against, or abstention, otherwise, the vote will not be counted. This does not include the votes for shares for which the shareholders voted no or abstained. This will not be included within for in the calculation of the required majority. Please pay extra attention to these formalities, because it's the only way for the company to adequately count your votes.
We cannot be placed in a situation where we need to interpret a form. Therefore, only those that have been filled in fully in keeping with the instructions will be taken into account. Either through the internet or on paper, or through proxies, a number of votes have been received, of course, prior to this AGM. Once the voting for each resolution shall be completed, we shall briefly suspend the AGM to count the votes. Please do not leave the room because we cannot suspend the AGM and wait for you to return. Please do not leave the room because the voting process, once the voting process has started, we cannot interrupt it.
As a reminder, there is no quorum required, and we shall therefore deliberate in a valid manner on the resolutions about points two and eight of the agenda. Whatever the number of shareholders present or represented, the resolutions will be adopted with a simple majority of valid votes. Each share comes with one voting right, in keeping with the articles of incorporation and legislation. Let us now examine the resolutions. The first resolution, having considered the executive board's management report of the réviseur d'entreprises agréé auditor, and observation of the supervisory board, the annual general meeting approves the financial statements for the year ending December 31st, 2022, in their entirety, showing a net profit of EUR 17,237,985. Please now vote.
Resolution two. The AGM, after having reviewed the management report of the management board, the report of the approved statutory auditor and observations of the supervisory board, approves the consolidated financial statements for the financial year ending December 31st, 2022, in their entirety, showing a consolidated net loss of EUR 49,136,742. Please now vote. Third resolution. The general meeting acknowledges a net profit of EUR 17,237,985, breaking down as such: profit for the year, EUR 17,237,985. Results brought forward, EUR 97,667,258. No other available reserves. Available distributable reserves, EUR 114,905,243.
Results to be allocated and distributed, EUR 17,237,985. No transfer for reserve to treasury shares. No allegations to legal reserve. No distribution of dividends. Profits carried forward, EUR 17,237,985. Available distributable reserve or distribution and allocation result of EUR 114,905,243, and a fixed basic remuneration of the Supervisory Board members of EUR 385,958. Please vote. Fourth resolution: The general meeting grants a discharge to the members of the Management Board and Supervisory Board for the performance of their mandates for financial year ending December 31, 2022. Please vote. Resolution five: The annual general meeting decides to re-elect Mr. Sator for a new term of office of four years that will reach its end on December 31, 2026. Please now vote.
Resolution six: The AGM decides to reappoint Mr. Yves Kerveillant as a member of the supervisory board of the company for a new term of office of four years, ending at the date of the annual general meeting, called to approve annual accounts for the financial year ending December 31, 2026. Please now vote. Resolution seven: The general meeting acknowledges the resignation of Mr. Francesco Serafini as member of the supervisory board of the company, normally coming to an end at the AGM of 2025, with effect as of this general meeting. Henceforth, considering the resignation, the term of office is terminated. The AGM decides to appoint Mrs. Paola Bruno as a new member of the Supervisory Board for a term of office of four years, ending at the date of the AGM, called to approve the annual accounts for the financial year ending December 31, 2026. You may now vote.
Resolution eight: After expiration of the term of office of the current auditor, the AGM decides to reappoint PKF Audit & Conseil, with registered addresses situated at 37 Rue d'Anvers in Luxembourg, registered with Luxembourg Register of Commerce under number B222.994, as approved statutory auditor of the company until the AGM held to approve the annual accounts for financial year ending December 31, 2023. You may now vote. Resolution nine: The AGM decides, through a consultative vote, to approve the compensation report for the financial year 2022. Please now vote.
Finally, Resolution 10. In view of Resolution three, the total compensation of the Supervisory Board compensation for the year 2022 is EUR 385,958. The AGM approves the following annual fees per member of the Supervisory Board in relation to fiscal year 2022. In alphabetical order, except for the chairman, Alexander Sator, Chairman, EUR 73,000; Jean-Paul Cottet, EUR 55,000; Yves Kerveillant, EUR 66,000; Thomas Kremer, EUR 30,958; Pascale Mourvillier , EUR 57,000; Francesco Serafini, EUR 53,000; and Caroline Tissot, EUR 51,000, for a total amount of EUR 385,958. Please now vote. Mr. Chair, we shall briefly suspend the AGM in order to tally of the votes.
Chers actionnaires, dear shareholders, we have now finished the tally of the votes. I can announce the votes for each resolution. First resolution, approval of the accounts for the year ending December 31st, 2022. In favor, 29,100,000 and, s orry, 178,413 against. The resolution is adopted. Resolution two, approval of consolidated accounts for fiscal year ending December 31st. In favor, 29,128,782 versus 178,413 . This resolution is therefore adopted with a majority. Resolution three, allocation of results. In favor, 29,073,654. Against, 228,904. Abstain, 65,462. This resolution is therefore adopted. Resolution four, for members 28,814,404, a bstentions.
151,228, t he resolution is therefore adopted with the majority of votes expressed. Resolution five, re-election of Mr. Alexander Sator as member of the Supervisory Board. In favor, 28,748,662. Against, 458,879. Abstain, 160,479. The resolution is therefore adopted with a majority of votes expressed. Resolution six, re-election of Mr. Yves Kerveillant . In favor, 28,879,010. Against, 339,184. Abstain, 159,826. Resolution is therefore adopted with the majority of votes expressed. Resolution seven, the resignation of Mr. Francesco Serafini and election of Mrs. Paola Bruno as new member of the Supervisory Board.
In favor, 26,603,059. Against, 306,973. Abstain, 2,457,988. The resolution is therefore adopted. Resolution eight, concerning the renewal of the term of offices of PKF as agreed auditor until the end of fiscal 2023. In favor, 28,959,654. Against, 292,054. Abstained, 116,312. The resolution is therefore adopted. Resolution nine, the compensation report consultative. In favor, 25,682,230. Against, 3,591,118. Abstain, 94,672. The resolution is therefore adopted with a majority of votes.
Finally, resolution 10, approval of the compensation of members of the Supervisory Board. In favor, 28,539,682. Against, 703,041. Abstain, 95,397. The resolution is therefore also adopted with a majority of votes expressed. Now back to the Chairman, Mr. Fortis.
Thank you, Pierre- Alexandre. To conclude this annual general meeting, I would like to warmly thank our shareholders, those who have remained faithful to the group despite the headwinds, and those who have placed their trust in us, but also our teams, customers, and partners for their commitment and trust. The group is robust, the transformation plan we have resolutely implemented will enable us to tackle new growth face ahead with confidence.
The record level of sales in Q1 confirms that we are in a sustained and profitable growth trajectory, which we must look to over the long term. Within 20 years, our group has become a leading partner to some of the world's largest groups, who renew their confidence in us year after year. At a time when massive investments arriving in our markets, development opportunities are historically high for our group. Benelux has started to pave the way for a new phase of growth. The U.K. and Germany are following with even greater potential. We are prepared to absorb this new phase of growth. We have already amply demonstrated our ability to do so in France, Belgium, and the Netherlands. We are ideally positioned to take full advantage of the two major structural trends shaping tomorrow's world and to remain a key player in the digital transformation and energy transition.
I am absolutely optimistic about the future. These two trends will carry our company forward for many years to come. Many thanks to all of you for your participation.