Country Solution Possible For Opel

2023 Author: Eric Donovan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-08-25 09:36

After the federal government's rejection, the four states with Opel plants want to look for alternatives together with the car manufacturer. This was announced by the Prime Ministers on Thursday after a top-level meeting with Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU).

By Tim Braune

The four federal states with Opel plants could support the restructuring of the car manufacturer with higher guarantees. That became apparent after a high-level meeting between the Prime Ministers and Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU). Rhineland-Palatinate and Hesse signaled that they might increase their aid. Thuringia had already decided to help.

Fewer guarantees needed

The federal government continued to argue violently about its Opel course. FDP leader Guido Westerwelle stood up behind his minister Brüderle, who had rejected state guarantees from the Germany Fund. Merkel then emphasized that that was not the last word. On Thursday before the talks in the Chancellery, Brüderle said that Merkel's intervention did not surprise him. The countries are free to help Opel with their own resources. The procedure in the Deutschlandfonds was concluded with his no.

Opel now needs significantly fewer guarantees than the guarantee of 1.1 billion euros, which was rejected by Economics Minister Rainer Brüderle (FDP) on Wednesday. Opel boss Nick Reilly put the gap at around 400 million euros. The US parent company General Motors wants to cut around 8300 of the 48,000 jobs in Europe.

Rüttgers urges unity

According to dpa information, the government has been looking into whether Opel can get funds from the European Investment Bank (EIB) for the development of new eco-vehicles. But here, too, the state would have to guarantee what Brüderle rejects.

The North Rhine-Westphalian Prime Minister Jürgen Rüttgers (CDU) called for an agreement: "We will now talk to the Chancellor about whether this common position will be abandoned or whether there is a common solution." Guarantees for the car manufacturer could be limited in time. The core problem is that Opel has no access to credit.

Beck shakes his head

Rhineland-Palatinate is ready to increase its share of guarantees. It could also be checked whether Opel could get money from European development banks with the help of the federal government. The Mainz head of government Kurt Beck (SPD) criticized the zigzag course of the black-yellow coalition. "You can only shake your head at what's going on." He has never experienced such chaotic behavior.

The Hessian FDP economics minister Dieter Posch brought restructuring aid from the federal states up for discussion. He did not understand Merkel's advance: "I don't really know what caused the Chancellor to give the impression that the decision of the Federal Minister of Economics (…) could be corrected," said Posch on Germany radio.

Chaos days at the expense of Opel employees

FDP leader Westerwelle rejected any other federal aid: "If the federal states decide differently, it is not a matter for the federal government." His General Secretary Christian Lindner criticized the Chancellor on "Spiegel Online": "Angela Merkel's commitment to the austerity package on the one hand and her commitment to General Motors on the other - that doesn't fit well."

Green parliamentary group leader Renate Künast sees chaos days at the expense of Opel employees: "The black and yellow opposition is an oath of revelation for economic policy ineptitude."