Recitals

A. Slovak Gas Holding B.V. (SGH) is a company incorporated under the laws of the Netherlands. SGH holds approximately 49% of the shares in Slovenský plyn.renský priemysel, a.s. (SPP), which it acquired from its two shareholders, GDF Investissements 2 S.A., a company incorporated under the laws of France, and E.ON Ruhrgas Mittel- und Osteuropa GmbH, a company incorporated under the laws of Germany. GDF Investissements 2 S.A. and E.ON Ruhrgas Mittel- und Osteuropa GmbH preceded GDF International S.A.S. (GDFI) and E.ON Ruhrgas International GmbH (ERI) respectively as shareholders of SGH. Each of GDFI and ERI holds 50% of SGH’s shares. Initially, GDFI and ERI’s parent company E.ON Ruhrgas AG (Ruhrgas) successfully bid for the partial privatisation of SPP in 2002 following an international public tender issued by the government of the Slovak Republic.

B. The other approximately 51% of the shares in SPP are owned by the National Property Fund of the Slovak Republic (the NPF).

C. SPP is active in the gas-supply sector in the Slovak Republic. SPP owns, inter alia, 100% of the shares in SPP distribúcia, a.s. (SPP distribúcia), which distributes natural gas to customers in the Slovak Republic, and 100% of the shares in eustream, a.s. (eustream), which is active in the gas transmission sector.