HELSINKI, Finland, Feb. 5, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Stora Enso Oyj's Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held on Wednesday 1 April 2009 at 4 p.m. Finnish time at Marina Congress Center, Katajanokanlaituri 6, Helsinki, Finland.

A. Matters on the agenda of the AGM

At the AGM, the following matters will be considered:

  1.  Opening of the meeting

  2.  Matters of order for the meeting

  3.  Election of persons to confirm the minutes and to supervise the
      counting of votes

  4.  Recording the legality of the meeting

  5.  Recording the attendance at the meeting and adoption of the 
      list of votes

  6.  Presentation of the annual accounts, the report of the Board of 
      Directors and the auditor's report for the year 2008 
      - CEO's report

  7.  Adoption of the annual accounts

  8.  Resolution on the use of the profit shown on the balance sheet 
      and distribution of funds
      The Board of Directors proposes to the AGM that EUR 0.20 per 
      share, a maximum aggregate of EUR 157 907 699.80, be distributed
      to the shareholders from the share premium fund of the parent 
      company. The distribution shall be paid after the Finnish 
      National Board of Patents and Registration has given its 
      consent to the decrease of the share premium fund which is 
      expected to take place in July 2009 at the earliest. The details 
      of the record date and payment date of the distribution shall be
      decided in the AGM.

  9.  Resolution on the discharge of the members of the Board of
      Directors and the CEO from liability

 10.  Resolution on the remuneration of the members of the Board of
      Directors
      The Nomination Committee proposes, at the initiative of the 
      Board of Directors, to the AGM that the annual remuneration 
      for the members of the Board of Directors and Board Committees 
      shall be reduced to a half compared to previous years as follows:

      Board of Directors
      Chairman EUR 67 500
      Deputy Chairman  EUR 42 500
      Members EUR 30 000

      The Nomination Committee also proposes that 40% of the 
      remuneration be paid in Stora Enso Series R shares purchased 
      from the market.

      In addition, annual remuneration shall be paid to members of the
      Board Committees as follows:

      Financial and Audit Committee
      Chairman EUR 10 000
      Members  EUR  7 000

      Remuneration Committee
      Chairman EUR  5 000
      Members  EUR  3 000

      Remuneration shall be paid only to non-executive Board members.

 11.  Resolution on the number of members of the Board of Directors
      The Nomination Committee proposes to the AGM that the Board of 
      Directors shall have nine (9) members.

 12.  Election of members of the Board of Directors
      The Nomination Committee proposes to the AGM that of the current 
      members of the Board of Directors, Gunnar Brock, Claes Dahlback, 
      Dominique Heriard Dubreuil, Birgitta Kantola, Ilkka Niemi, Juha 
      Rantanen, Matti Vuoria and Marcus Wallenberg be re-elected members
      of the Board of Directors until the end of the following AGM and 
      that Hans Straaberg be elected new member of the Board of 
      Directors for the same term of office. Jan Sjoqvist has 
      announced that he wishes to retire from the Board of Directors 
      at the end of the Annual General Meeting.

      Hans Straaberg is currently the CEO and President of Electrolux 
      AB. He holds a Master's degree in Science and Engineering from 
      the Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, Sweden.

 13.  Resolution on the remuneration of the auditor
      The Board of Directors proposes to the AGM that remuneration 
      for the auditor be paid according to invoice.

 14.  Election of auditor
      The Board of Directors proposes to the AGM that the current 
      auditor Authorised Public Accountants Deloitte & Touche Oy be
      re-elected auditor of the Company until the end of the following 
      AGM.

 15.  Appointment of Nomination Committee
      The Nomination Committee proposes that the AGM appoints a 
      Nomination Committee to prepare proposals concerning (a) the 
      number of members of the Board of Directors, (b) the members of 
      the Board of Directors, (c) the remuneration for the Chairman, 
      Vice Chairman and members of the Board of Directors and (d) the
      remuneration for the Chairman and members of the committees of 
      the Board of Directors. The Nomination Committee shall consist 
      of four members:
      - the Chairman of the Board of Directors
      - the Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors
      - two members appointed by the two largest shareholders (one 
        each) according to the register of shareholders on 1 October 
        2009.

      The Chairman of the Board of Directors shall convene the 
      Nomination Committee and the Nomination Committee shall present 
      its proposals to the Board of Directors for the AGM to be held 
      in 2010 before 31 January 2010. A member of the Board of 
      Directors may not be appointed as Chairman of the Nomination 
      Committee. Annual remuneration of EUR 3 000 shall be paid to a
      member of the Nomination Committee who is not a member of the 
      Board of Directors.

 16.  Decrease of the share premium fund and the reserve fund of the 
      parent company 
      The Board of Directors proposes to the AGM that the share 
      premium fund as shown in the balance sheet of the parent company 
      as per 31 December 2008 will be decreased by an amount of EUR 
      1 688 145 310.08, and the reserve fund as shown in the balance 
      sheet of the parent company as per 31 December 2008 by an amount
      of EUR 353 946 990.12. The decreased amounts shall be transferred 
      to the invested non-restricted equity fund. The decrease is 
      proposed to be in addition to the decrease proposed under item 8 
      above.

      The decrease of the share premium?fund and the reserve fund 
      become effective after the Finnish National Board of Patents and
      Registration has given its consent to the decrease.

 17.  Proposal by the shareholders Matti Ikonen, Matti Liimatainen and
      Annina Kaeppi
      Shareholders Matti Ikonen, Matti Liimatainen and Annina Kaeppi 
      propose to the AGM that Stora Enso Oyj no longer procure from 
      the Finnish state enterprise Metsaehallitus any wood from forest 
      areas in forest Lapland that nature conservation organisations 
      have designated as rare contiguous wilderness areas formed by 
      old-growth forests, bogs and fells.

 18.  Decision making order
 
 19.  Closing of the meeting 

 B.   Documents of the AGM 
 The proposals of the Board of Directors and its committees as well 
 as the proposals of the shareholders relating to the agenda of the 
 AGM as well as this notice are available on Stora Enso Oyj's website 
 at www.storaenso.com/agm. The annual report of Stora Enso Oyj, 
 including the Company's annual accounts, the report of the Board of 
 Directors and the auditor's report will be published on the above-
 mentioned website as a pdf document during the week commencing Monday
 23 February 2009. The proposals of the Board of Directors and the 
 annual accounts are also available at the AGM. Copies of these 
 documents and of this notice will be sent to shareholders upon 
 request. The minutes of the AGM will be available on the 
 above-mentioned website as from 15 April 2009. 


 C. Instructions for the participants in the AGM 

 1. The right to participate and registration 
 Each shareholder, who on the AGM record date 20 March 2009 is
 registered in the shareholders' register of the Company held by 
 Euroclear Finland Ltd, has the right to participate in the AGM. A
 shareholder, whose shares are registered on his/her personal
 book-entry account, is registered in the shareholders' register of 
 the Company. 

 A shareholder, who wants to participate in the AGM, shall register 
 for the AGM no later than 25 March 2009 at noon Finnish time by giving
 a prior notice of participation. Such notice can be given: 
 a) on the Company's website: www.storaenso.com/agm 
 b) by telephone: +358 2046 21245 
                  +358 2046 21224 
                  +358 2046 21210 
                  +358 2046 21327 
 c) by telefax:   +358 2046 21359 
 d) by regular mail: Stora Enso Oyj, Legal Department, P.O. Box 309,
    FI-00101 Helsinki 

 In connection with the registration, a shareholder shall notify his
 /her name, personal identification number, address, telephone number 
 and the name of a possible assistant. 

 Pursuant to chapter 5, section 25 of the Companies Act, a shareholder 
 who is present at the AGM has the right to request information with 
 respect to the matters to be considered at the AGM. 

 2. Proxy representative and powers of attorney
 A shareholder may participate in the AGM and exercise his/her rights 
 at the AGM by way of proxy representation. A proxy representative 
 shall produce a dated proxy document or otherwise in a reliable 
 manner demonstrate his/her right to represent the shareholder at 
 the AGM. Possible proxy documents should be delivered in originals 
 to Stora Enso Oyj, Legal Department, P.O. Box 309, FI-00101 Helsinki
 before the last date for registration.

 3. Holders of nominee registered shares
 A holder of nominee registered shares, who wants to participate in 
 the AGM, must be entered into the shareholders' register of the 
 Company on the AGM record date 20 March 2009.

 A holder of nominee registered shares is advised to request 
 necessary instructions regarding the registration in the 
 shareholders' register of the Company, the issuing of proxy documents 
 and registration for the AGM from his/her custodian bank. Further 
 information on these matters can also be found on the Company's 
 website www.storaenso.com/agm.

 4. Shares registered in Euroclear Sweden AB
 Shareholders whose shares are registered in the register of 
 shareholders maintained by Euroclear Sweden AB and who intend to 
 attend and vote at the AGM must contact Euroclear Sweden AB and 
 request temporary registration in Stora Enso's shareholder register. 
 Such request shall be submitted in writing to Euroclear Sweden AB 
 before Friday 20 March 2009 at noon Swedish time. Temporary 
 registration made through Euroclear Sweden AB is regarded as a 
 notice of attendance.

 5. ADR holders
 ADR holders intending to vote at the AGM shall notify the depositary
 bank, Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas, of their intention and 
 shall comply with the instructions provided by Deutsche Bank Trust 
 Company Americas to each ADR holder.

 6. Other information
 On the date of this notice to the AGM 5 February 2009, the total 
 number of series A shares in Stora Enso Oyj is 177 152 431, 
 representing a total of 177 152 431 votes and the total number of 
 series R shares is 612 386 068, representing a total of at least 
 61 238 607 votes. Each series A share and each ten (10) series R 
 shares entitle the holder to one vote. Each shareholder shall,
 however, have at least one vote. 


 APPENDIX
 Hans Straaberg, born 1957, Swedish citizen, is the President and 
 CEO of AB Electrolux. He has held several management position at 
 Electrolux in Sweden and the USA. Before joining Electrolux in 1983, 
 he was Assistant to the Technical Attache at the Swedish Embassy in
 Washington DC. In 1987, Hans Straaberg assumed his first Electrolux 
 senior management position, with global responsibility for dishwashers
 and laundry equipment. In 1992, he assumed the position of General
 Manager of Electrolux' Floor Care operations at the Vaestervik 
 facilities in Sweden. This was followed by another major assignment 
 in the USA in 1995, this time with responsibility for production and
 development in the Group's North American White Goods operations. In
 1998, he became Executive Vice President for the Group's Floor Care 
 and Light Appliances sector. He also joined the Group Management Team 
 at this time. Since April 2002, Hans Straaberg is President and Chief
 Executive Officer at AB Electrolux. Currently he holds following 
 positions of trust: Board Member of Roxtec, Board Member of the 
 Associations of Swedish Engineering Industries.

 Hans Straaberg holds a Master's degree in Science and Engineering 
 from the renowned Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, 
 Sweden.

 An image bank of pictures that may be freely used to illustrate 
 articles about Stora Enso is available at 
 http://bmt.storaenso.com

 Please, copy and paste the link into your web browser and follow 
 the path:
 Images > Corporate > People > Management > Hans Straaberg

 For further information, please contact:
 Jouko Karvinen, CEO, tel. +358 2046 21410
 Markus Rauramo, CFO, tel. +358 2046 21121
 Keith Russell, Senior Vice President, Investor Relations, 
  tel. +44 7775 788659
 Ulla Paajanen-Sainio, Vice President, Investor Relations and Financial
  Communications,  tel. +358 2046 21242

 www.storaenso.com
 www.storaenso.com/investors


 STORA ENSO OYJ


 Jari Suvanto Ulla Paajanen-Sainio