UPDATE:EU Mins:Support For Opel Mustn't Serve National Interests
29 Mai 2009 - 7:25PM
Dow Jones News
Financial support for General Motors Corp.'s (GM) European car
plants mustn't serve narrow national interests, E.U. ministers
agreed Friday after meeting to coordinate their positions.
Any state aid "must be based on objective and economic criteria,
and not include non-commercial conditions concerning the location
of investments and/or the geographic distribution of restructuring
measures," they said in a combined statement.
The ministers agreed that E.U. rules ensuring a level-playing
field for companies throughout the 27-nation bloc, must be fully
respected and national measures should not be taken without
coordination with other countries involved and with the European
Commission.
Industry ministers from 18 members states met with European
Commissioner for Industry Guenter Verheugen and Competition
Commissioner Neelie Kroes.
-By Peppi Kiviniemi and Carolyn Henson, Dow Jones Newswires; +32
2 741 1481; carolyn.henson@dowjones.com