België komt in aanmerking voor EU-steun bij sluiting Opel fabriek (en)

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - The European Commission has signaled that Belgian authorities are eligible for EU i support following the announcement by car manufacturer Opel to close its Antwerp plant that currently employs 2,600 people.

"As far as the commission is concerned, we are willing to consider using all the tools at are disposal to help," said commission spokeswoman Pia Hansen at a news conference on Friday (22 January).

"If the redundencies went ahead as announced and if the Belgian authorities were to make an application for the European Globalisation Fund, the Opel case would meet the criteria set out in the regulation that applies here," she added.

Originally set up in late 2006, the fund was amended in mid-2009 in the wake of the financial crisis with a maximum of €500 million per year available to help workers who lose their jobs as a result of changing global trade patterns find new employment.

The commission said money from the European Social Fund would also be available, as speculation now turns to the location of further cuts.

Announcing the plant closure on Thursday, Opel executive Nick Reilly said the company planned to cut 8,300 job cuts in total as part of its restructuring process, with roughly 4,000 set to go in Germany.

The company also has plants in the UK, Spain, Germany, Poland, Austria and Hungary, with US parent company General Motors previously indicating that Opel needs to reduce its production capacity by 20 per cent to remain viable.

GM is looking for state aid to help fund its €3.3 billion shake-up, with the commission indicating it has not received a definitive restructuring plan from the American firm yet. The Flemish government had promised Opel €500 million in state aid if the Antwerp plant were to stay open.

Following months of tortuous negotiations, GM dramatically backed out of plans to sell Opel last November to Magna International, a Canadian-Austrian auto parts company, and Sberbank, its Russian partner.

Armin Schild, head of the IG Metall union in Frankfurt and a member of Opel's board, on Friday slammed the automaker's announcement to close the Antwerp plant, saying the decision was a ''declaration of war'' on European workers.