Recent years : Sustainable development

With Europe, a major source of project financing emerges. The countries of central and eastern Europe are knocking at the door of the Community and their infrastructure needs are considerable. SAFEGE rises to the challenge: in the space of a few years it becomes one of the leaders in its field in Poland, the Balkan countries and on the borders of the European Union. In 2007, half of its international turnover is generated in that region, compared to 10% five years earlier. A process of diversification starts, to meet the demand for multi-disciplinary project managers capable of handling all water and transport project requirements.

SAFEGE provides assistance to central European governments

The objectives of the "Pilot River Basin for the Sava River, a 40-month technical assistance programme implemented under the European Union CARDS programme, are as follows :

support the governments of the three countries in implementing the Water Framework Directive (WFD) in their respective countries in general and in the Sava river basin in particular ;

set up WFD testing in pilot sub-basins ;

identify potential problems and institutional weaknesses ;

develop national training programmes and support the four-country Sava Commission (Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Slovenia) in developing management and coordination capacities.

In the face of stiffer competition on the home front, SAFEGE continues to innovate, while participating in high-profile projects like the flood control study for the River Meurthe and its tributaries, the Grésillons Wastewater Treatment Plant project in the Paris region, and the master plan for the Paris water treatment and distribution facilities.

Our organisational structure has become a key driver of our performance. Our aim is for every client to receive the best of SAFEGE at an optimum cost. Our subsidiaries have come together under the SAFEGE brand, which has become the reference on our home market, particularly in the area of urban water and wastewater, in which we are a world authority.

Our growth continues in the urban development, transport, renewable energy and sustainable development sectors and we have diversified into services for industry. For SUEZ ENVIRONNEMENT, which goes public in 2008, SAFEGE is a key link in the value chain and at the forefront of the development process.