In 2009, the Supervisory Board held seven meetings in person and two meetings by conference call. The members of the Corporate Executive Board attended the meetings and other members of senior corporate, continental and local management were regularly invited to present to the Supervisory Board. The Supervisory Board held three private meetings without other attendees to independently review certain issues and to discuss matters related to the functioning of the Corporate Executive and Supervisory Board. The external auditor attended the meeting in February 2009 at which the 2008 Annual Report and financial statements were endorsed. In November 2009, in a separate private meeting, the Supervisory Board assessed its own performance, that of its committees and its individual members, as well as the performance of the Corporate Executive Board and its individual members. All members received the criteria for this evaluation ahead of the meeting. Supervisory Board members discussed the performance of the Corporate Executive Board and its members and the Supervisory Board and its members and committees in that private meeting, which was partly attended by the CEO. The members of the Supervisory Board have regular contact with the members of the Corporate Executive Board and other company management outside the scheduled meetings of the Supervisory Board.