We are aiming to pay a stable to rising dividend. Following requests in our AGM in April, we will introduce a stock dividend option with cash dividend as default. Details of the payment dates are found on the last page of this report.
Given our strong fundamentals and as a signal of confidence in our ability to deliver the performance improvement program in challenging markets, the 2011 interim dividend will be increased by 3 percent to €0.33 per share. Our intention is to grow the 2011 total dividend by around €0.05 per share (a similar increase as was made for the 2010 dividend), aiming towards a total 2011 dividend of €1.45 per share.