March 27, 2006 – Basell announced today that it will increase prices by €70 per tonne on all polypropylene grades and €100 per tonne on all polyethylene grades sold in Europe effective April 1.

“Recent product price developments have not kept pace with rising monomer costs,” said Werner Breuers, president of Basell Polyolefins Europe. “An additional price increase is necessary to bring our margins to satisfactory levels.”

Basell is the world's largest producer of polypropylene and advanced polyolefin products, a leading supplier of polyethylene and catalysts, and a global leader in the development and licensing of polypropylene and polyethylene processes.
Basell, together with its joint ventures, has manufacturing facilities around the world and sells products in more than 120 countries.
Additional information about Basell is available at www.basell.com.

For more information contact Chantal Sohm, Basell Corporate Communications at + 33 1 55 51 21 19 or
+ 33 6 72 68 30 93 or chantal.sohm@basell.com