Paris, 28 June 2005


Vivendi Universal agrees to develop 3 new sites in the framework of its contribution to job creation


During the summer of 2004, Vivendi Universal entered into a number of commitments with the French government in terms of job creation in France, focusing on areas with particularly high unemployment. It thus agreed to:

- set up, via subcontractors, 2 call centers in Belfort and Douai, thus creating a total of 600 new jobs;
- contribute to job creation in special areas to be determined together with the Ministry of the Economy, Finance and Industry, with a view to creating 1,000 new jobs over 3 years, and 1,500 over 5 years.

Work on these projects formally began in early 2005, in cooperation with local players and with the support of companies specializing in retraining and industrial renewal, selected by Vivendi Universal.

Vivendi Universal can now confirm the opening next September of the first of the two call centers, which is to be located in Belfort and will be managed by Téléperformance; half the total staff of 300 for this center will be hired by the end of 2005, and the rest by mid-2006.

In addition, in the Sarrebourg, Creil/Compiègne/Beauvais and Arles sites, revitalization efforts undertaken with a view to creating a total of 850 jobs over three years, have already:

- helped create 130 jobs, with hiring for these underway (a few dozen have already been finalized) ;
- helped identify 140 possible additional jobs to be validated in the very near future by the relevant local hiring committees.

In this context, and in agreement with the French Ministry of the Economy, Finance and Industry, Vivendi Universal is making three new pilot sites eligible for its program:

- the Dreux area in the Eure et Loir “département” west of Paris ;
- the Calais/Saint Omer/Arras metropolitan area, in the Pas de Calais “département” in the north of France ;
- the Châlon-sur-Saône urban area, in the Saône et Loire “département” in Burgundy, in order to anticipate the recently announced future job losses in the area.

Vivendi Universal has agreed to provide the necessary funding, within an annual domestic allocation of 5 million euros, to support the creation of at least 250 jobs over three years at each of the three new sites, via retraining and industrial renewal companies to be selected by Vivendi Universal.

As they have done for the first three pilot sites selected, these companies will work in close cooperation with Government and local authority representatives.



Important Disclaimer:
This press release contains "forward-looking statements" as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance. Actual results may differ materially from the forward-looking statements as a result of a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are outside our control, including but not limited to risks described in the documents Vivendi Universal has filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the French Autorité des Marchés Financiers. Investors and security holders may obtain a free copy of documents filed by Vivendi Universal with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission at or directly from Vivendi Universal. Vivendi Universal does not undertake, nor has any obligation, to provide, update or revise any forward-looking statements.