A new company will be created, named Munksjö Corporation with its head office in Stockholm. Munksjö Corporation is expected to be listed on NASDAQ OMX Helsinki during the first quarter of 2013. A future listing on NASDAQ OMX Stockholm is being considered.Munksjö Corporation is expected to achieve annual synergies of about 25-30 million Euros, once fully implemented. The new company will be a global leader in specialty paper with combined net sales in 2011 of 1.3 billion Euros. The new company will have approximately 3,300 employees at 16 production sites in Europe, Brazil and China. “The planned combination is the natural next step in Munksjö’s strategy to become a leading, global specialty paper company, following the acquisition of ArjoWiggins’ Decor, Abrasives, Thin Print Papers and Fine Art businesses in 2011. It will lead to strengthened competitiveness and efficiency and bring added growth opportunities to the company, organically as well as strategically”, says Jan Åström, CEO of Munksjö.Following the proposed transaction, Munksjö´s current shareholders will own approximately 29 percent of the new company and Ahlstrom’s current shareholders will own approximately 50 percent. Institutional investors Varma and Ilmarinen as well as Ahlstrom and EQT III have been offered shares in a 100 million Euros directed share issue.The directed share issue is fully subscribed. The new company has fully committed credit facilities with a net debt of approximately 300 million Euros at closing, leading to a capital structure well in line with the peer group.The new combined company will become one of the world’s largest specialty paper companies with strong market positions in attractive market segments.