The statement was made by corporate communications vice president Jyrki Antikainen, following an update on M-real's action plan (PrintWeek, 26 August).

It goes some way to clarifying M-real's intentions, following the announcement that its stake in Map could fall below 50% if the group decided to consolidate its business with strategic partners.

"At the moment there are no negotiations going on, it's just an announcement that we are evaluating the position of Map," said Antikainen. In the UK, the Map Group comprises the merchant companies of Premier Paper, MoDo Merchants, James McNaughton and Talk Paper.

M-real president Hannu Anttila revealed in August that the Finnish group is to focus on its core businesses and improve profitability with a 304m rights issue. Antikainen said that as part of M-real's asset divestment it is in negotiation to sell its forest business, Forestia, for 119m (Eu175m), which is expected to be completed by the end of this year.

The outlook was also showing signs of improvement, he said, with growth in paper demand expected to continue as the overall economic situation in Europe improves.

Coupled with this, Antikainen said prices were also expected to strengthen as demand for paper increases.

Story by Andy Scott