Nov 24, 2005. /Lesprom Network/. Swedish paper and carton maker Holmen sees newsprint prices rising by more than 5% in Europe next year, its top executive said on Wednesday. Nordic paper makers have struggled to improve earnings in recent years. Overcapacity and modest demand from continental Europe have not given room for substantial price hikes. Raw materials and energy costs have risen. Asked whether prices could rise by more 5% next year, Holmen chief executive Magnus Hall said, "As things look now, I think so." "We have passed the point of if there will be a price hike. Now the question is how large it will be," Mr. Hall told a forestry seminar in Oslo. Sector heavyweights such as Norwegian Norske Skog, the world's biggest newsprint maker, and Finland's UPM-Kymmene have said prices on their key grades were likely to rise next year, though it was uncertain by how much.