through its affiliate Sofinim, Fortis Private Equity (‘FPE’) and the other shareholders of Corn Van Loocke (‘CVL&rsquo

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(1)Embargo until 23 August 2007 – 7.30 a.m.. Antwerp, 23 August 2007. AvH and Fortis PE reach an agreement in principle on the sale of Corn Van Loocke to Umicore. Ackermans & van Haaren (‘AvH’), through its affiliate Sofinim, Fortis Private Equity (‘FPE’) and the other shareholders of Corn Van Loocke (‘CVL’ or the ‘Company’) have recently come to an agreement in principal to sell CVL to Umicore. AvH and FPE are both shareholder of the Company since 1999 (when they realised a management buy-out together with the management) and own at this stage respectively 45% and 25% of the outstanding shares of CVL. The Company has developed substantially over the last few years. This evolution has been possible thanks to an extensive investment program and a strongly committed management team. CVL’s sales level has grown from EUR 14m to EUR 24 m between 1999 and 2006. Furthermore, the personnel base increased from 39 to 64 persons since 1999. The current shareholders are convinced that through CVL’s integration into the Umicore group, CVL will be in a position to take advantage of many more growth opportunities. The transaction remains, among other things, subject to the approval of the relevant competition st authorities, and a closing is expected around the 1 October of this year.. Fortis Private Equity, part of Fortis Merchant & Private Banking, manages all of Fortis’s private equity assets. Its total direct and indirect investment portfolio amounts to around EUR 1.5bn making it one of the most prominent private equity houses in the Benelux. Private Equity teams based in Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Spain and Asia concentrate on direct investments. Fortis Private Equity also continues to build up a diversified fund-of-funds portfolio through indirect investments, principally in buy-out and capital venture funds in North America, Europe and, since recently in Asia. Ackermans & van Haaren is a diversified group active in 4 key sectors: dredging, environmental and construction services (DEME, one of the largest dredging companies in the world - Algemene Aannemingen Van Laere, a leading contractor in Belgium), Real Estate and related services (Leasinvest Real Estate, a listed real-estate investment trust with real estate assets of approximately € 450 million – Extensa, an important land and real estate developer focused on Belgium and Luxemburg), private banking (Bank Delen, one of the largest independent private asset managers in Belgium – Bank J.Van Breda & C°, niche bank for entrepreneurs and liberal professions) and private equity (Sofinim, one of the largest private equity providers in Belgium, and GIB). The group concentrates on a limited number of strategic participations with an important potential for growth. Market capitalisation of AvH is. WorldReginfo - 29d25f3d-bc8d-49d2-b696-72da5a48e98c. Corn Van Loocke, based in Bruges, Belgium, produces chemical components for the coatings, tyre and catalyst industries. The group is one of Europe's leading producers of carboxylates and naphthenic acids and also manufactures synthetic resins for inks, paints and varnishes. CVL exports the majority of its turnover to more than 70 countries..

(2) Embargo until 23 August 2007 – 7.30 a.m. approximately € 2.2 billion. Since March 2nd 2007, the AvH share has been included in the reference index BEL20 of Euronext Brussels. All press releases issued by AvH and its most important group companies as well as the ‘Investor Presentation’ can also be consulted on the AvH website: www.avh.be.. For further information please contact: Sofinim: Koen Janssen Investment Manager Tel : +32 3 897 92 30 e-mail : koen.janssen@sofinim.be www.avh.be – www.sofinim.be. WorldReginfo - 29d25f3d-bc8d-49d2-b696-72da5a48e98c. Fortis Press Contact: Tel : +32 2 565 47 37.

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through its affiliate Sofinim, Fortis Private Equity (&lsquo;FPE&rsquo;) and the other shareholders of Corn Van Loocke (&lsquo;CVL&rsquo

through its affiliate Sofinim, Fortis Private Equity (‘FPE’) and the other shareholders of Corn Van Loocke (‘CVL&rsquo