Foreword

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Foreword

Dr. Mathias Döpfner
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Ladies and Gentlemen,

in the middle of the year 2008, the Axel Springer company is in very good economic health and is the most profitable German publishing group. We concentrate on what we do best: journalism. As a content-based company we will continue to create the best newspapers, magazines, online and mobile offerings in the future if we use our creativity and passion for quality. Digitization and the internationalization of our business are the two decisive strategic priorities we have set for us to continue to grow profitably. As a German print company backed with more than sixty years of tradition, we are currently well on the way to becoming a leading print, online and moving image company in Europe.

This Sustainability Report concerns itself with Axel Springer’s commitment to social responsibility, which comes from a sense of conviction. Sustainable economic management and the safeguarding of social and ecological standards belong to this. Accepting responsibility for the future of our planet – is something which is expected of us by our staff, our customers, it is expected of us by the talented journalists, business administration or technical experts, who consider working for us, and not least, this is something expected of us by our shareholders.

As a result of the international growth curve of our company, we now also want to involve our international subsidiaries more actively in sustainability reporting. Within the framework of the international Convention on the Protection of Biodiversity, we will also add our experience in the ecological optimization of the wood and paper chain through the Business & Biodiversity initiative.

For Axel Springer, this is a question of credibility and consistent customer orientation. The editorial offices of our newspapers and magazines deal with the topics of economic, social and ecological sustainability on a daily basis. They inform, they enlighten, they scrutinize. A new chapter in the report “Commitment of the editorial offices” documents numerous examples of this. As a media company we therefore bear a dual responsibility. We not only want to lead by example in our role as journalists and publisher, but also as an employer, as a printer, as a paper purchaser – simply as a member of society in general.

The guidelines of our corporate culture - creativity, entrepreneurial spirit and integrity, are the foundation of successful economic management.

I wish you an informative read of this report, which for the first time can also be read in mobile devices, and remain

Yours

Dr. Mathias Döpfner
Chief Executive Officer