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