• Sale of shares to Wiener Städtische Allgemeine Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft or any of its affiliates
• other distribution channels will be emphasized on the German market
• further step towards a strategic positioning of the UNIQA Group Austria's activities abroad
• stronger concentration on the Group's own activities and emerging markets in Central Europe

With the formation of UNIQA last year, the shares Bundesländer-Versicherung (1/3) and Austria-Collegialität (1/6) hold in InterRisk, were combined in UNIQA Personenversicherung AG - a subsidiary of the publicly quoted UNIQA Versicherungen AG. Since then, UNIQA Personenversicherung holds half of the shares of InterRisk Internationale Versicherungsholding GmbH. This company, in turn, wholly owns InterRisk Versicherung AG in Wiesbaden, a damage and accident insurer with a premium volume of DM 84 Mio/Euro 43 Mio/ATS 591 Mio.The former shareholding InterRisk Internationale Versicherungsholding held in Schweizer Freiburger Allgemeine Versicherung AG was already sold in 1998.

Other distribution channels
UNIQA' sole partner in InterRisk Internationale Versicherungsholding GmbH since its formation in 1978 had been the Wiener Städtische group. Since borders were opened towards East and West, the original intentions dating back to the early 1980s, namely to jointly operate all activities abroad, could not be realized. In fact, both groups have already operated independently for many years and the shareholding in Germany is the only jointly operated insurance company. As far as activities on the German market are concerned, UNIQA has other distribution channels that it will increasingly use in the future.

Strategic repositioning
The sale of the shares in InterRisk Internationale Versicherungsholding GmbH is another step towards a strategic repositioning of UNIQA Group Austria's activities abroad.

UNIQA Group Austria
With a premium volume of ATS 30.2 billion (EUR 2.19 billion) and a staff of approx. 6,500, UNIQA is one of the leading insurance groups in Central Europe. UNIQA emerged in 1999 from a merger of the traditional Austrian insurers Bundesländer-Versicherung und Austria-Collegialität and deliberately combines Austrian identity and European caliber.