Belgium has stepped up its offensive against German state aid to auto manufacturer Opel's planned new owners, demanding that the slightest hint of protectionism be slapped down by Brussels.
By AFP
Expatica.com
BRUSSELS - The European Commission must approve 4.5 billion euros (6.5 billion dollars) of aid offered by German Chancellor Angela Merkel's government, currently less than two weeks away from a general election.
Amid fears shared by other European Union member states that plants elsewhere may be sacrificed to keep 25,000 German Opel staff in work, the head of Belgium's Flanders regional government took the case for an Antwerp factory threatened with closure to the EU's executive arm.
Seeking assurances that politics would play no part in Bussels' decision on whether or not to approve the aid and the takeover, Kris Peeters told EU Commission vice-president Guenter Verheugen of Germany that Antwerp would win out on purely economic and commercial considerations.
"For Commissioner (Verheugen), there can be no question of protectionism and he will keep a close eye on this to make sure economic parameters lie behind decisions on whether to close or keep sites open," the Flemish leader told reporters.
Peeters fears that the plant in northern Belgium, which employs around 2,700 people, is to be sacrificed by Canada's Magna and Russia's Sbersbank, who were on Thursday named by General Motors as the preferred buyers for its European division.
He said submissions on aid and on the comparative merits of the different plants within Europe which may be affected have yet to be submitted....(Remainder.)
By AFP
Expatica.com
BRUSSELS - The European Commission must approve 4.5 billion euros (6.5 billion dollars) of aid offered by German Chancellor Angela Merkel's government, currently less than two weeks away from a general election.
Amid fears shared by other European Union member states that plants elsewhere may be sacrificed to keep 25,000 German Opel staff in work, the head of Belgium's Flanders regional government took the case for an Antwerp factory threatened with closure to the EU's executive arm.
Seeking assurances that politics would play no part in Bussels' decision on whether or not to approve the aid and the takeover, Kris Peeters told EU Commission vice-president Guenter Verheugen of Germany that Antwerp would win out on purely economic and commercial considerations.
"For Commissioner (Verheugen), there can be no question of protectionism and he will keep a close eye on this to make sure economic parameters lie behind decisions on whether to close or keep sites open," the Flemish leader told reporters.
Peeters fears that the plant in northern Belgium, which employs around 2,700 people, is to be sacrificed by Canada's Magna and Russia's Sbersbank, who were on Thursday named by General Motors as the preferred buyers for its European division.
He said submissions on aid and on the comparative merits of the different plants within Europe which may be affected have yet to be submitted....(Remainder.)
