• The report was audited by an independent third party for the first time
• FCC's recent acquisitions outside Spain will be integrated into the Group's culture of social responsibility

The FCC Group has unveiled its 2006 Corporate Social Responsibility Report, which received an A+ rating from the Global Report Initiative (GRI), the highest rating awarded by that body, which seeks to harmonise international reporting in this field.

Also, the report was audited by an independent third party (KPMG) for the first time.

It sets out FCC's initiatives in the field of social responsibility in 2006. The report is structured around the goals of FCC's CSR Master Plan for 2007 and 2008, as approved by the Board of Directors.

It commences by listing progress in the area of corporate governance, including the adoption of the Unified Code of Corporate Governance and the promotion of FCC's ethical business framework. The report also describes the integration of the corporate social responsibility culture within FCC through the creation of a Group-level Corporate Social Responsibility Department, a Group-level CSR Committee, and a number of Sustainability and CSR committees in the business areas. Additionally, the Group and the individual Areas have their own socially-responsible plans and goals.

The report sets out FCC's achievements in combating climate change, with particularly positive results at Cementos Portland Valderrivas and hopeful results in the other business areas: construction, water and services.

Health and safety for FCC's over 90,000 workers is another area of social responsibility covered in the report. In pursuit of greater vigilance and workplace safety, the report notes a 3% reduction in the accident rate. Attracting and retaining talent are another goal of the Master Plan; the Report notes that nearly 50% of employees are on indefinite contracts, and describes FCC's alliance with the Spanish universities to find the best candidates. Worker training has also increased in terms of the number of hours and the participation rate.

The Report highlights FCC's dialogue and cooperation with the community. The Group has recently joined the UN Global Compact, supports a number of foundations that promote sustainability, such as CONAMA and Fundación Entorno, educates on responsible use of natural resources at all levels, from kindergarten to university, and sponsors a range of social action and artistic projects.

Eco-efficiency and the reduction of environmental impacts are another concern of FCC covered by the CSR Report; the Group incorporates this concern into all business areas, and has achieved very positive results in cement production (reduction of NOx and particle emissions), water treatment by Aqualia, soil protection by FCC Construction, and industrial waste treatment by Ámbito.

FCC's business areas also publish their own CSR or sustainability reports, such as that recently released by Aqualia.

FCC's CSR Report also describes the process of integrating FCC's recent acquisitions in other countries into the Group's social responsibility policy and their adoption of the goals of the CSR Master Plan (2007-2008).