Just the rules

28 May 2009 By Pierre Briancon

The EU, prompted by the UK and Belgium, is calling an urgent meeting on Germany s bailout plans for Opel. The fear that German workers might be favoured is legitimate. But Europe already has regulation to prevent this. The EU should simply say that it won t tolerate rule bending.

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The European commission has called a meeting of all countries with an interest in the Opel/Vauxhall businesses after Belgian prime minister Herman van Rompuy complained that a "onecountry solution" ran counter to EU principles.

Germany has been negotiating with General Motors, Opel's parent company, and potential bidders over the fate of the European car maker, which employs more than 50,000 people in Europe, half of which in its three German factories.

Lord Mandelson, the UK business secretary, has also held conversations with the parties to the talks on the fate of Opel's two UK facilities in Ellesmere Port and Luton.

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