This paper presents an extension of the generalized multipole technique (GMT) for 2D anisotropic scatterers. New expansions similar to the Bessel multipole expansion are derived for arbitrary anisotropic media. Numerical simulations prove the accuracy and the rapid convergence of these expansions. As the results obtained are extremely accurate, this technique is most helpful for the evaluation of reference solutions and for the understanding of the physical interaction of light with arbitrary anisotropic media. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.