Sarkozy Says He Opposed Airbus Factory Sale

Tag : Factory Plants

French President Nicolas Sarkozy said on Monday he expressedopposition to the planned sale of a French Airbus factory onceproposals to sell similar plants in Germany had collapsed.
Airbus last month called off plans to sell two French plants toToulouse-based Latecoere shortly after talks to sell three plantsin Germany to MT Aerospace collapsed over financing problems,saying the two events were unrelated.
"When I saw that the German factories were not being sold, forreasons of their own, I indicated I was against the closure ofMeaulte," Sarkozy said in a television interview, apparentlyreferring to plans to move the northern French factory outside theownership of Airbus.
Airbus has consistently denied that any of its decisions overfactory sales resulted from political pressure or that the two setsof talks were linked. It has said the factories would have remainedopen as it races to meet record orders.
The planemaker wants to sell some factories to help cut itsoverhead costs and bring in investment needed to pay for advancedcomposite materials to build its next jet, the A350.
Sarkozy played down recent tensions between French and Germanworkers at the planemaker's assembly plant in Toulouse in SouthwestFrance, saying national rivalries in the company have softenedsince its management structure was simplified.
Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel struck a deal in Julylast year to abolish a system in which top management posts weresplit and shared between French and German executives.
The system was blamed for constant bickering that caused Airbus tofail to spot problems that led to the A380 superjumbo being delayedfor two years.
Airbus is managed by Tom Enders of Germany and parent EADS by aFrenchman, Louis Gallois.
Toulouse union leaders have accused Enders of placing the jetmakerunder German control.
"If you want to do something between France and Germany, you can'thave all the posts going to the French," Sarkozy said.
Airbus has brought 2,500 German workers to Toulouse to sort out theproblems with wiring installation, using technical manuals thatonly exist in German. Unions say French workers are angry becausethey regard their German counterparts as overpaid with too littleto do. EADS denied that last week.
The French government owns 15 percent of EADS with 10 percent heldby private French media group Lagardere and 22.5 percent held byGerman carmaker Daimler.