Despite this being the annual report from the 2019 financial year, it’s crucial to also mention the COVID-19 pandemic that, in 2020, has caused a global emergency throughout the human population worldwide and that has changed our habits, how companies operate and the economy in general. Having lived through this situation, we have all learned lessons, examples of appropriate reactions, effort and commitment.

In the case of Saba, we provide our service 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and, even under these very difficult circumstances, the authorities have established that our activity must remain operational, given the fact that car parks may be necessary for ensuring essential mobility during an emergency as well as ensuring that the subscribers who entrust us with their vehicles can withdraw them if need be.

The company’s entire organization has thrown itself into putting together and implementing a series of actions aimed at preserving the safety and health of our employees, preventing the spread of the virus, and ensuring the functionality of our services. We have included these actions, which will undoubtedly continue to be operational and which are under permanent review, in this document.

Concerning 2019, I would like to highlight the integration process of the countries that joined the Group in December 2018: the United Kingdom, Germany, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. We face a real cross-sectional challenge in bringing together different cultures, information systems and criteria for action and providing them with a link that allows them to be articulated within the Saba structure, while working to standardize all internal management systems. This is a process which we will continue to implement in the future, with the aim of further insisting on growth as a priority objective.

Regarding business innovation and the promotion of 100% digital product sales, it should be noted that the e-commerce web model is already operational in Spain, Italy, Portugal and the United Kingdom and that, at the end of 2019, the new app, integrated with the e-commerce website, was launched.

We continued to work in 2019 on the approval and implementation of different regulations and procedures with the aim of ensuring that transparency, efficiency, responsibility and sustainability are basic pillars guiding the company's ethical actions. It’s therefore essential to mention the approval of the Regulations for the Prevention of Corruption and for Relations and Correspondence with government authorities and third parties.

We continue to carry out our activity within the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations, integrating these principles into the strategy, culture and daily activity of the business. In social action, we reinforce our willingness to participate in long-term projects along three lines: hospital initiatives, support for disadvantaged groups – especially children and families – and projects that encompass action against climate change.

To be more precise, in the environmental sphere, we have spearheaded a year with more improvements to reduce the impact of our activity on the climate; we have also extended our ISO 50001 Energy Management Certification to Italy and Portugal, with plans to implement it, before long, in Chile and the United Kingdom as well.

In closing, I want to thank, on behalf of the Board of Directors and on my own, the management team and all the people who make up Saba for the enormous effort and commitment to providing our services and to the company in all its aspects. In addition to our dedication to daily management and to projects such as the integration of new countries, we have also added our capacity to react and adapt to the health crisis. I’m convinced that this work will strengthen us as a company, as a group and as individuals, and will prepare us to face whatever future challenges may arise.