Finnish Competition Authority requests a response from Stora Enso concerning alleged price collabora
STORA ENSO OYJ Stock Exchange Release 5 April 2006 at 14.30
Finnish Competition Authority requests a response from Stora Enso concerning alleged price collaboration in wood procurement in Finland Stora Enso has today received from the Finnish Competition Authority a request for a response concerning alleged price collaboration and exchange of information between forest companies in connection with the purchasing of timber in Finland. At this time, Stora Enso will investigate the matter and intends to provide its response within the given time limit. The Finnish Competition Authority has requested the response by 15 May 2006. The Finnish Competition Authority alleges that UPM-Kymmene, Stora Enso and Metsäliitto have engaged in illegal price collaboration and exchange of information in connection with the purchasing of timber in the period from 1997 to 2004 in violation of the Finnish Act on Competition Restrictions and Article 81 of the European Community Treaty. According to the information received from the Finnish Competition Authority, it will decide whether to take the matter to the Finnish Market Court when it has received the responses from all the companies involved in this matter. As a result of this and because Stora Enso cannot estimate the amount of any fine that may be imposed as a result of the Finnish Competition Authoritys request , it has not made any provision in its accounting. For further information, please contact: Jyrki Kurkinen, Senior Vice President, Legal Affairs, tel. +358 2046 21217 Kari Vainio, Executive Vice President, Corporate Communications, tel. +44 77 9934 8197 www.storaenso.com www.storaenso.com/investors STORA ENSO OYJ p.p. Jussi Siitonen Jukka Marttila