The Group deems the development of lasting and mutually satisfactory relations with qualified suppliers a strategic objective and an opportunity for competitive success.

• In countries within the Sustainability Report area, Generali Group has relations with about 224,000 suppliers. Compared to 2007, there has been a 22.4% increase in suppliers, primarily due to the 33,500 increase in Germany where Europ Assistance added a new network of body shops, mechanics and roadside assistance providers to its suppliers and expanded its insurance products in the motor and health segments.
• The presence of several Europ Assistance Group companies, whose suppliers increased to a total of 154,565 in 2008 (69% of total suppliers), is at the root of the large number of suppliers in the Sustainability Report area. This also depends on the type of activity, which envisages the provision of various types of service that require the availability of suppliers (car hire companies, roadside assistance providers, plumbers, smiths, electricians, carpenters, clinics, hospitals, diagnostic centres, analysis laboratories, ambulances, doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, etc.) throughout the country.
• It is partly for this reason that most Group suppliers offer services connected with Group business, while a much smaller number of suppliers provide various types of services supporting the company’s business (cleaning, maintenance, transport, etc.) and supply goods.
• Group companies give preference to national suppliers, accounting for 80% to 100% of the total network. In line with Group policies, which require the centralisation of the Purchasing Department of almost all the countries in the Sustainability Report area, preference is generally given to companies that can provide goods/services on a national level. The exceptions are France, which uses local suppliers for 20% of its needs and for services for which it has been unable to find an international supplier, and Germany, which gives preference to local suppliers for ecological reasons.