Dr Konstantin Klien, Chairman of the Board of UNIQA Versicherungen AG: “Already at the time of first investing in ASTRA about two years ago, we secured the option of acquiring further shares from Nova Trade in the medium term. In full agreement with Nova Trade, we have now decided to take the next step and to strengthen our commitment accordingly. We will continue our cooperation with the previous majority shareholder in the future. We also regard Nova Trade as a strong, regional partner for the attractive Romanian market. With its 21.7 million inhabitants, Romania is not only one of the largest markets in Eastern and South Eastern Europe, but also one the most rapidly growing insurance markets in the European Union.”

Starting with the investment in ASTRA in 2005, the UNIQA Group began a massive transfer of know-how in the areas of product design and sales structure. This created the best conditions to ensure a successful participation, on the part of ASTRA, in the experiences of one of the leading insurance groups in Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe. Together with Nova Trade and the local management, the further development of ASTRA was driven forward massively in all areas at the same time. As preparation for the majority takeover and integration into the UNIQA Group, the company’s market appearance was already adapted in mid-2006, using co-branding, to ASTRA-UNIQA, thereby giving a clear indication of the future positioning of the company.

Cooperation with Raiffeisenbank Romania
The cooperation with the local Raiffeisenbank and the sale of selected insurance products by its branches already began in the year 2005 as UNIQA acquired its first share of ASTRA. Therefore ASTRA will also profit in the medium term, from the vast experiences which UNIQA and the Raiffeisen banking group have made in the area of bank insurance in Austria and in the Central, Eastern and South-Eastern European markets within the framework of the “preferred partnership”.

Konstantin Klien: “It is precisely in fast-growing markets such as Romania, that the co-operation between banks and insurance companies is a prerequisite for qualitative expansion. UNIQA has always viewed the connection to Raiffeisen and the experience in bank sales as an important asset and has brought these views to ASTRA from the very beginning.”

Commitment in the real estate sector as well
UNIQA is not only investing in the core market area of insurance in the positively developing markets of Eastern and South-Eastern Europe, and Romania in particular. In accordance with our strategy of internationalisation, UNIQA Group is also increasingly investing in the real estate sector. One of the showpieces in this area is the Oracle Tower in Bucharest, which UNIQA purchased through a real estate subsidiary in 2006.

ASTRA
The company was founded in 1991 and is among the most successful insurance companies in Romania. More than 200 branches across the country are managed from the company headquarters in Bucharest. ASTRA-UNIQA currently employs approximately 570 in-house staff and in addition, more than 640 staff in sales. Over 60 different kinds of insurance are offered. Corresponding to the market situation in Romania, the portfolio is dominated by automobile insurance and by trade and industry.

In 2006, the total of premiums collected by ASTRA-UNIQA was approximately 86 million euros, which is an increase of about 80%. In the same period, Romania’s entire insurance market grew by 34%. In the area of non-life, ASTRA-UNIQA has a market share of 6.6%, which gives it market position no. 6.

UNIQA Group Austria
The UNIQA Group Austria is one of the leading insurance groups in Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe and consciously unites Austrian identity with European format.

Outside of its main market, Austria, and through its subsidiary companies and partners, the UNIQA Group already participates in 19 insurance markets: Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Slovenia, Serbia, Montenegro, the Ukraine, Romania, Bulgaria, Albania, Macedonia and Kosovo, as well as Italy, Germany, Switzerland and Liechtenstein.

In Austria, in addition to the listed corporate parent company, UNIQA Versicherungen AG, the UNIQA Group is made up of: UNIQA Personenversicherung AG and UNIQA Sachversicherung AG as well as Raiffeisen Versicherung AG, Finance Life Lebensversicherung AG, Salzburger-Landes Versicherung AG and Call Direct Versicherung AG.