EU Mins Share Info On GM Opel Sale As Germany Continues Talks
May 29 2009 - 10:11AM
Dow Jones News
Concerns that Germany's plans to bail out General Motors Corp.'s
(GM) Adam Opel unit could safeguard German jobs at the expense of
Opel workers elsewhere in Europe were center stage as European
Union ministers arrived for talks on the matter Friday.
"We want to hear from the Germans what they are doing," said
Maud Olofsson, Sweden's minister for enterprise and energy, before
entering the meeting. "It's important that we inform each other and
that we stick to the (European) rules" on state aid, she added.
The German government is expected to make a decision Friday on a
sale of GM's German-based unit Opel, which has plants in other E.U.
countries. Any future plan for Opel is likely to lead to plant
shutdowns and layoffs.
Belgium, which hosts a major Opel facility, and the U.K., home
to GM's Vauxhall unit, have been concerned about being excluded
from a GM-Opel deal, which could privilege German plants and
workers over others.
The commission was called to action by the Belgian government,
which Wednesday asked the institution to ensure any resolution to
the future of Opel is fair to all E.U. countries where GM has
operations.
-By Alessandro Torello, Dow Jones Newswires; +32 2 741 14 88;
alessandro.torello@dowjones.com