• 7.5 percent increase in sales to €2.917 billion after adjusting for exchange rate effects; reported sales growth of 2.0 percent
• 11.1 percent increase in operating profit* to €602 million after adjusting for exchange rate effects; reported operating profit* up 5.8 percent
• Adjusted earnings per share up 20.6 percent to €1.29
• Outlook for 2008 unchanged: Sales expected to increase and earnings expected to rise at a faster rate than sales
• Medium-term target for 2010 confirmed: operating profit* of more than €3 billion and ROCE (return on capital employed) of at least 13 percent.

* Operating profit: EBITDA before non-recurring items, including share of net income from associates and joint ventures.