Paris, February 13, 2007 – Gaz de France is the first company on the CAC 40 benchmark index to obtain the AccessiWeb label for its www.gazdefrance.com corporate website. True to its values of social solidarity and public service, and to its pioneering spirit, the group has taken the necessary steps to make all the content and services of its website accessible to all types of Internet users and notably those suffering from a disability.

Access to information is a commitment as fundamental as access to energy. In France, there currently live 3.1 million people with motor deficiencies [1], 1.5 million people who are visually handicapped [2] and 500,000 individuals with a partial or severe hearing disorder [3] who will now be able to visit the Gaz de France corporate website and, notably, its “recruitment” section.

For Gaz de France, the aim of this operation is to reconcile the challenges related to the efficiency, attractiveness and ergonomics of its website with its role as a socially aware company, actively engaged in the struggle against the exclusion of the most vulnerable or disadvantaged.

The AccessiWeb label, created by the BrailleNet association in 1997 to promote accessibility, certifies website compliance in France and has been awarded to Gaz de France for a period of two year. This testifies to the success achieved by Gaz de France in overcoming the technological barriers to ensure that its Internet site – which boasts more than 700 pages and contains multimedia formats – is capable of respecting the extremely stringent criteria imposed by the AccessiWeb label.

Action taken by Gaz de France in favour of the disabled

Accessibility goes far beyond the realm of digital content. Gaz de France, which has ensured since 2005 that all its offices open to the public are accessible to the disabled, is particularly mobilized in favour of the inclusion of people suffering from disabilities in the work environment.

A new agreement regarding the professional integration of the disabled, signed in April 2006, provides for the recruitment of at least 4% of disabled workers among all new employees hired over the next three years, 15,000 hours of training for disabled employees or people working for companies in the protected sector, and procurement from the protected sector for an average annual total €1.5 million.

[1] According to a survey conducted by HID (Handicap, Invalidity, Dependence) in 1999

[2] WHO - Programme for the prevention of blindness, 2001

[3] 2005 figures provided by Websourd

Press Contact:                                                    
Pénélope Linage - Tel: 33-1 47 54 30 17                
Email: penelope.linage@gazdefrance.com

Investor Relations Contact:
Brigitte Roeser Herlin – Tel: 33-1 47 54 77 25
Email: GDF-IR-TEAM@gazdefrance.com

Company profile

The Gaz de France group is a major energy player in Europe. The leading European natural gas supplier, the group has around 53,000 employees, recorded net sales of €22.4 billion and net income of €1.743 billion in 2005. Gaz de France serves 13.8 million customers, including 11.1 million in France. Listed on the Paris Stock Exchange since July 2005, the group joined the CAC 40 share index and the Dow Jones Stoxx 600 in September 2005.

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