January 29, 2008 - Swedish paper producer Holmen, said that its president and CEO, Magnus Hall, has been appointed chairman of the Confederation of European Paper Industries (CEPI). He takes over the chairmanship as of January 2008, succeeding Frits Beurskens of the Dutch Smurfit Kappa Group.

“It will be a stimulating task to work for the European paper industry, which currently faces major challenges, especially with regard to the many points of view about how we should use the wood raw material in the future," said Hall."One of the most important steps now is to arrive at a manageable system for allocating emission rights without auctioning, allowing the industry room to invest in carbon dioxide efficient processes.”

Through its members—trade associations in 17 European countries—CEPI represents around 800 small, medium sized and multinational paper and board manufacturing companies with a total of 1,200 mills. On aggregate they account for almost 30 per cent of the world's total production of paper and board.

SOURCE: Holmen