RULING FROM THE ENVIRONMENTAL RIGHTS COURT OF APPEAL

According to Svea Court of Appeal (Svea Hovrätt), Environmental Rights Court of Appeal (Miljööverdomstolen), which has been handling an appeal from the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency (Naturvårdsverket) of an environmental ruling against Vallvik Mill from 2001, the company is to put a biological purification system into operation no later than 31 December 2005.

An appeal of the decision may be directed to the Supreme Court (Högsta Domstolen) no later than 17 June 2003. The decision on whether to appeal will be taken in early June.

Upplands Väsby 23 May 2003

Lars Blecko

President and CEO

For further information, please contact Lars Blecko at tel. +46 (0)70 641 49 10 or Hannu Thomasfolk, Managing Director of Vallvik Mill, tel. +46 (0)70 604 29 38

Rottneros is one of the world’s leading independent manufacturers of market pulp. The Group consists of the parent company, Rottneros AB, which is listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange, along with its subsidiaries of Rottneros Rockhammar AB, Utansjö Bruk AB and Vallviks Bruk in Sweden as well as Rottneros Miranda, S.A. in Spain, with activities involving production and sales of market pulp, Rockhammar Timber AB, which produces and sells sawn timber, plus the raw materials purchasing company of Rottneros Baltic SIA in Latvia. The Group has a total of 864 employees and a turnover of approximately SEK 2.5 billion.