German ministers have said they won’t be pressured into making a fast decision on state aid to Opel and had not yet seen a viable plan.
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Finance minister Peer Steinbrueck said Opel had not yet provided a convincing strategy for its future.
“Big companies form the industrial basis of Germany and we must make sure not to give this basis up lightheartedly during a crisis,” Steinbrueck told ARD television, according to Reuters. “The precondition is that Opel itself provides a sustainable concept.”
Asked whether this plan had been provided by the carmaker, Steinbrueck said: “The honest answer is: I can’t see it so far.”
But he could not rule out state aid to Opel, adding that some 50,000 jobs were linked to the automaker.
Meanwhile, economy minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg said after talks with GM Europe’s chief the government would not rush any decision on possible state support.
“I will seek contact with the parent company to discuss remaining open questions, and to gain an impression of where the parent company wants to go,” Guttenberg added. “I will, given my US trip in two weeks, also talk to the American government.”
Chancellor Angela Merkel had said earlier state aid for Opel depended on the firm’s long-term outlook and on the readiness of banks to help.
GM wants to make GM Europe a separate unit in which outside investors can take a minority stake.
