Recognizing that the Athens Stock Exchange holds an important position and plays a significant role in the development of the national economy, the Board of Directors of the Athens Stock Exchange considered that the change of the trading hours is necessary, in order to maintain the competitiveness of the Greek capital market in the changing international environment and to secure the success of its mission.

The new permanent trading hours of the Athens Stock Exchange will be as follows:

• Pre - session: 10:30 - 11:00
• Session: 11:00 - 17:15
• At close trading: 17:15 - 17:30

The Athens Stock Exchange, accepting the need for the adjustment of all the participating agencies of the Greek capital market to the new trading hours, as it was expressed in the frame of the meetings of the work · team that studied the issue, determined that the new trading hours commence on February 1, 2002.

It was approved, following contacts with all the participating agencies, that until then the market can operate with a small scale change of the trading hours and more specifically:

• Pre · session: 10:30 - 11:00
• Session: 11:00 - 16:00
• At close session: 16:00 - 16:15

As regards with the trading hours from 12:00 · 18:00 currently applied, and which were dictated by the events of September 11, 2001 in the USA, it was approved that the said trading hours should continue for as long as this "sensitive" period lasts and, in any case, throughout this and next week, when the continuation or not of the current trading hours will be decided.