EU regulators are nearing the end of their investigation into state bridging financing for Opel but require more information from the German authorities.
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Commission competition spokesman Jonathan Todd said it was a routine matter and he did not expect any problems.
“Once we get this information, I would expect we would be able to reach a conclusion very quickly,” he added.
The German government plans to lend Opel EUR1.5bn (US$2.1 bn). However, Financial Times Deutschland said there could be issues concerning an additional EUR3 bn in guarantees that should ensure a deal with an investor.
The newspaper said conditions for helping troubled companies via Germany’s state aid fund, or Wirtschaftsfonds Deutschland, were strict and envisaged high interest would be charged on any loans.
Further taxes would become due over the guarantees planned until 2014. Only 90% of possible loans could be guaranteed.
If the German government and the eventual investor did not meet these conditions, Opel might have to reduce capacity and shut plants.
Seperately, talks between Canadian auto parts supplier Magna and Opel’s European dealer association, Euroda, were postponed to 22 July.
Euroda vice-chairman Albert Still declined to comment about whether the delay was due to problems with negotiations between Opel’s US-based parent General Motors and Canada’s Magna.
Sources close to Magna told Reuters the postponement had “nothing to do” with the GM talks’ progress and attributed the delay to growing external pressure from government officials for GM and Magna to reach a deal by mid-July.
Euroda itself has offered to buy a 15% stake in a ‘new Opel’ for about EUR500m financed by contributions from its 4,000 members but its offer has not been taken up.
