On 28 May 2009, Managing Director Giovanni Perissinotto presented the Generali Group's fifth Sustainability Report at the Università Bocconi in Milan. The Report has been approved by the Board of Directors of the Parent Company and published only a few weeks after the Group’s Financial Statements.

The 2008 Sustainability Report confirms past choices, first and foremost the international perspective: the geographical area referred to in the Report accounts for 63.2% of staff members and 86.4% of total gross direct premiums within the Group. This area includes all countries of primary importance to Group strategy, namely Italy, Austria, France, Germany, Israel, Spain and Switzerland. The focus is on insurance and banking business, including service-related businesses.

Compared to the previous years, further information is provided on countries outside the Sustainability Report area to trace a general picture of the main relevant issues, such as human and workers’ rights, initiatives targeted at the community and environmental protection. The Report also includes in-depth analyses of the Group’s main strategic partners - particularly of their approach to sustainability - and an extended section relating to the internal control and risk management system.
Environment is this year’s key issue: for the first time, the Report includes detailed information on the direct impact of corporate activity on the environment. Furthermore, an important international project has recently been launched, aimed at introducing a Group Environmental Management System in accordance with the requirements set by the main ethical/environmental rating agencies.

Structure of the document

The document is comprised of five sections:

• the first section describes the Group’s identity and strategies;
• the second section describes the Group’s economic and financial performance. In particular, it provides a calculation of the added value created by the Group and its distribution among the various stakeholders;
• the remaining three sections provide a detailed description of major stakeholders, divided into three categories: direct, competitive and social/environmental, highlighting their specific relationship with the Company.