BRGS Blackrock GR Ss

BlackRock Greater Europe Investment Trust plc

31 December 2015

Reminder of your right to subscribe for Ordinary Shares at 248p per share on the last business day of January 2016 (Friday, 29 January 2016).

This announcement is issued by way of reminder only and is not to be read as a recommendation to Subscription Shareholders to exercise their Subscription Share Rights or otherwise. You will still have one final opportunity to subscribe for all or any of the Ordinary Shares to which your Subscription Shares relate on the last business day of April 2016 at 248p per share, if you choose not to do so on this occasion. A reminder letter will be sent to you prior to the final exercise date. All Subscription Shareholders are strongly advised to consult their professional advisers regarding their own tax position.

As set out in the combined prospectus and circular of BlackRock Greater Europe Investment Trust plc (the “Company”) dated 25 March 2013 (the “Prospectus”), owners of Subscription Shares can subscribe for Ordinary Shares of 0.1 pence each in the Company on a quarterly basis and this announcement is intended to remind you of that right.

Capitalised terms in this announcement shall have the meanings given to them in the Prospectus.

If you are in any doubt about the action you should take, you are recommended immediately to seek your own personal financial advice from your independent financial adviser, stockbroker, solicitor, accountant, bank manager or from an appropriately qualified independent adviser authorised pursuant to the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000.

Exercise of Subscription Share Rights held in Certificated form

Shareholders wishing to exercise their Subscription Share Rights, who hold their shares in Certificated form, should refer to the instructions on the reverse of their Subscription Share Certificate(s). Shareholders must lodge the relevant Subscription Share Certificate(s) at the office of Computershare Priority Applications, Corporate Actions, Bristol BS99 6AJ by not later than 5.00 p.m. on the relevant Subscription Date (being, in the case of the next Subscription Date, 29 January 2016), having completed the notice of exercise of Subscription Share Rights, and a remittance for the aggregate Subscription Price for the Ordinary Shares in respect of which the Subscription Share Rights are being exercised. Shares will be allotted within ten business days of the first business day of the calendar month following the month in which the relevant notice of exercise of Subscription Share Rights was given (meaning, in the case of the next Subscription Date, by 12 February 2016).

Exercise of Subscription Share Rights held through CREST

Shareholders wishing to exercise their Subscription Share Rights, who hold their Shares through CREST, should send a USE (Unmatched Stock Event) instruction as set out below together with a remittance for the aggregate Subscription Price in respect of which the Subscription Share Rights are being exercised. When sending a USE instruction, Shareholders should use the following participant and member account IDs when processing their instructions:

CREST Participant ID = 0RA36
CREST Member Account ID = GREATER

The USE instruction should be inputted to settle in accordance with the CREST timetable on the relevant Subscription Date (being, in the case of the next Subscription Date, 29 January 2016). Shares will be allotted within ten business days of the first business day of the calendar month following the month in which the relevant notice of exercise of Subscription Share Rights was given (meaning, in the case of the next Subscription Date, by 12 February 2016). All times referred to relate to the normal CREST daily timetable. It is a Subscription Shareholder’s responsibility to monitor that timetable for changes until 2.00 p.m. on 29 January 2016 and to take appropriate action if any of the events are brought forward.


If you have any enquiries regarding the procedures described above, these should be referred, in the case of CREST sponsored members, to their CREST sponsor and, in the case of other members including CREST sponsors, to the Receiving Agent, at Computershare Investor Services PLC, PO Box 859, The Pavilions, Bridgwater Road, Bristol BS99 1XZ, telephone +44 (0870) 707 1163.

Exercise of Subscription Share Rights held through the BlackRock Savings Plan or Stocks & Shares NISA

Savings Scheme Participants wishing to exercise their Subscription Share Rights should download the Savings Plan Notice of Exercise of Subscription Share Rights Form or the Stocks & Shares NISA Notice of Exercise of Subscription Share Rights Form which are available from the BlackRock website blackrock.co.uk/brge.

Please complete and return the relevant form(s) to the address given at the top of the form. Forms must be received at least seven business days before the relevant Subscription Date and therefore should be received by 20 January 2016.

Shares arising from the exercise of Subscription Share Rights will be issued within ten business days of the first business day of the calendar month following the month in which the relevant notice of exercise of Subscription Share Rights was given (meaning, in the case of the next Subscription Date, by 12 February 2016). A contract note confirming the number of shares acquired will be posted to you on the following business day.

If you have any other queries, please contact our Investor Services Team by email at uk.investor@blackrock.com. Alternatively, contact us by telephone on 0800 44 55 22, quoting the relevant account number. Our lines are open from 8.30am to 6.00pm, Monday to Friday. For your protection, telephone calls may be recorded.

Net asset value and share price information

The net asset value per Ordinary Share (fully diluted, cum income) and the closing prices for the Company’s Ordinary Shares and Subscription Shares, taken from the Daily Official List of the London Stock Exchange on the first dealing day in each of the six months prior to the date of this announcement and on the latest practicable date prior to the date of this announcement, were as follows:
 

Taxation

On exercise of the right to convert any Subscription Shares into Ordinary Shares, the Ordinary Shares issued pursuant to the Subscription Share Rights will be treated as the same asset in respect of which the Subscription Share Rights are exercised. The base cost of each such Ordinary Share will be the deemed base cost of the Subscription Share that it replaces, plus the Subscription Price. Further information relating to taxation can be found at Part VI of the Prospectus.

Caroline Driscoll
BlackRock Investment Management (UK) Limited
Secretary

END

The forms in respect of the exercise of Subscription Share Rights of Subscription Shares held within the BlackRock Savings Plan and Stocks and Shares NISA are available from blackrock.co.uk/brge. Neither the contents of the Manager’s website nor the contents of any website accessible from the hyperlinks on the Manager’s website (or any other website) is incorporated into, or forms part of, this announcement.