PRESS RELEASE

Short sales: prohibition expires. 
Restrictions in force only for companies increasing their capital as of November 30, 2009.

Consob resolves not to extend the prohibition of short selling currently in force.

Companies listed and traded on Italian regulated marked subject to a capital increase resolved by November 30, 2009 remain subject to the provisions established by Consob Resolution of July 29, 2009. For these companies the prohibition of short sales apply: sales of shares, therefore, shall be supported from the moment of the order up and until the date of the settlement of the transaction, by both the availability and the ownership by the ordering party of the relevant securities. These provisions apply until the closing day of the capital increase.

However, as provided for under Consob Resolution of October 15, 2009, such companies enjoy the faculty to ask Consob to be excluded from the application of the short selling restrictions.

The text of the resolution (no. 17078 of November 26, 2009) is available on Consob web-site in Italian language.

Rome, November 30, 2009