THE UN SYSTEM

Eni has established an open and ongoing dialogue with Legambiente and has participated in various exchanges regarding its activities in a number of places in Italy (Ortona, Basilicata, Cortemaggiore). The “Energythink: The Future of the Planet: energy scenarios‘ project, created in partnership with Legambiente continues, with the aim of sharing competences and values and promoting dialogue and awareness of global energy issues in the scientific community, the academic world and institutions, and among students in general.

A series of consultation initiatives are currently underway at an international level, including a dialogue with Amnesty International regarding aspects of sustainability related to Eni’s presence in Nigeria and an open exchange with the Cultural Foundation for Ethical Responsibility and the Böll Foundation regarding the company’s presence in Congo.

In November 2008 Amnesty International contacted Eni to announce the preparation of a report on the impact on human rights deriving from petroleum activities in the Niger Delta and to request answers to a series of specific questions. Eni accepted to enter into a dialogue with Amnesty and created an interfunctional working group to manage the situation. In June 2009, coinciding with the publication of the report “Nigeria: Petroleum, Pollution and Poverty in the Niger Delta‘, Eni’s CEO received a letter formally inviting him to personally oversee the implementation of two recommendations (the recovery of areas affected by oil spills and the sharing with local communities of the figures relating to the impact of operations), as well as indicating his availability to attend a meeting, which was immediately given. Starting from the observations contained in the report, Eni embarked on a path for improvements which is reflected in certain procedures for the identification of socio-environmental impacts of activities and on the commitment to the project in defence of human rights. The dialogue with the association has been judged positively, not only for the way in which the company has been able to present its position, subsequently included in the association’s report, but also for the content of the report itself. At the meeting between the heads of the association and Eni, which took place in February 2010, the Chief Executive accepted the recommendations and made a commitment to continue the relationship. At the same time, Eni has outlined a path fro dialogue with the Cultural Foundation for Ethical Responsibility.

The Foundation, which is a holder of Eni stock, during the 2009 AGM presented a series of questions concerning Eni’s presence in Congo, where it received some initial answers. Subsequently, the Foundation asked for details concerning the investments foreseen for tar sands and palm oil. The answers provided by Eni were then included in the official report published in July 2009 by a German NGO, the Heinrich Böll Foundation, entitled "Eni’s new investment in tar sands and palm oil in the Congo Basin Huge environmental and social risks with no real improvement in access to energy?".

Although there was no direct contact with the Böll Foundation, and the other associations that were signatories of the report, Eni decided to enter a dialogue, offering the possibility of a formal meeting at its headquarters to clarify the company’s position. The meeting, which was held in December, between the representatives of Eni, and the Foundation for Ethical Responsibility, the World Bank Reform Campaign, the Böll Foundation, and Rencontre pour la paix et les droits de l’homme, allowed Eni to provide information about planned investments, and the possibility of ongoing dialogue.