HELSINKI, Finland, March 28, 2001 (PRIMEZONE) -- The Annual General Meeting of Metso Corporation (NYSE:MX) approved the accounts for 2000 as presented by the Board of Directors and voted to discharge the members of the Board of Directors and the President and CEO of Metso Corporation from liability for the 2000 financial year. In addition, the Annual General Meeting approved the proposals of the Board of Directors. These applied to the amendment to the article 10 of the Articles of Association, authorizations to repurchase and resolve to transfer the Corporation's own shares and to increase the share capital by issuing new shares, and the issue of options. The Annual General Meeting decided, as proposed by the Board, to distribute a dividend of EUR 0.60 per share.
Pertti Voutilainen was re-elected the Chairman of the Board at the Annual General Meeting. Mikko Kivimaeki, President and CEO of Rautaruukki Group, was re-elected the Vice Chairman of the Board. Board members re-elected are Heikki Hakala, Metso's previous President and CEO, Chairman of the Board of Pohjola Group Insurance Corporation and Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Company; Juhani Kuusi, Head of Nokia Research Center; Jaakko Rauramo, President and CEO of SanomaWSOY Oyj; Markku Tapio, Director General, State Shareholding Unit, Ministry of Trade and Industry in Finland and, Pentti Maekinen, Chief Shop Steward, proposed by the personnel of Metso Corporation. The auditing company, Authorized Public Accountant SVH Pricewaterhouse Coopers, was re-elected Auditor of the Corporation.
The Board of Directors was authorized to resolve to repurchase and to transfer the Corporation's own shares and increase the share capital within one year of the shareholders' meeting. The authorization entitles the Board to repurchase the Corporation's own shares for use as consideration in connection with business acquisitions or in financing investments.
The Annual General Meeting also decided to issue options to key personnel of Metso Corporation as part of the incentive program for key personnel. It is proposed that the shareholders' pre-emptive right to subscription be disapplied since the stock options are intended as part of the incentive program for the key personnel of the Metso Group.
The Annual General Meeting decided that a dividend of EUR 0.60 per share be paid for the financial year which ended on December 31, 2000. The dividend will be paid to shareholders who have been entered as shareholders in the Corporation's shareholder register maintained by the Finnish Central Securities Depository Ltd. by the dividend record date, April 2, 2001. The dividend will be paid on April 9, 2001.
Metso Corporation is a global supplier of process industry machinery and systems. Metso's core businesses are divided between Metso Paper (fiber and paper technology), Metso Minerals (rock and mineral processing) and Metso Automation (automation and control technology). In 2000, the net sales of Metso Corporation were EUR 3.9 billion, and the personnel totaled approximately 22,000. Metso Corporation is listed on the Helsinki and New York Stock Exchanges.