Additional dividend of EUR 1.50 proposed by Orion Board of Directors to an Extraordinary Shareholders' Meeting

The proposal is based on the capital released from the sale of the Noiro business division as well as the utilisation of the tax surplus.

 

The Board of Directors emphasises the extraordinary nature of the proposed additional dividend and the fact that the dividend does not mean any change in the dividend policy of the company published by the Board. The proposed additional dividend would be deemed as a special dividend differing from the company's normal dividend policy, as meant in section II.3 of the terms and conditions of the Orion Corporation 2001 Stock Option Plan. Therefore, the share subscription price for stock options 2001C and 2001D would be reduced by the amount of the additional dividend.

 

If the Extraordinary General Meeting approves the Board of Directors' proposal, the additional dividend will be paid to Orion Corporation shareholders entered in the shareholders' register maintained by the Finnish Central Securities Depository Ltd. on the record date, on 16 December 2003. The date of the dividend payment would be 23 December 2003.

 

Shareholders being entered in the company's shareholder register maintained by the Finnish Central Securities Depository Ltd. on no later than 1 December 2003 have the right to attend the Extraordinary General Meeting. Also those shareholders whose shares have not been entered in the book-entry system shall have the right to attend the Extraordinary General Meeting, provided the conditions set forth in Chapter 3a, Section 4, Paragraph 2 of the Finnish Companies Act have been met.

 

The English version of the Invitation to the Shareholders' Meeting will be available on the Orion Group homepage orion.fi as of Saturday 22 November 2003.

 

Orion Corporation

 

Jukka Viinanen              Olli Huotari
President and CEO       General Counsel

 

Jukka Viinanen, President and CEO

Phone +358 10 429 3710

             

Jari Karlson, CFO

Phone +358 10 429 2883, gsm +358 50 429 2883

 

Orion Corporation

Corporate Administration

Orionintie 1A, FIN-02200 Espoo

Homepage: www.orion.fi