Brussels, 03/05/2004 (Agence Europe) - On Monday morning Commissioner Mario Monti met the French finance minister Nicolas Sarkozy in order to gain an idea of the position of his government on the Alstom dossier. At the end of the meeting, the Commission underlined in a press statement that the meeting had allowed for the whole of the issue to be examined and that the different parties had agreed to move forward together quickly on this important social and industrial issue in order to find a solution in compliance with Community law. Sarkozy also confirmed that he thought that there was a common desire to obtain a solution. Commissioner Monti's spokesperson Tilman Lueder said that the meeting had put several options on the table, some of which were "promising" and others has advantages and disadvantages". The spokesperson underlined two essential conditions that were necessary for getting a proposal agreed to; the contribution would bring to increased competitiveness in Europe and if it would be sustainable. Collaborators of the French minister will still be meeting their European counterparts on Tuesday in order to structure the dialogue more and discuss the three solutions proposed by Mr Sarkozy in more detail (the recapitalisation plan currently being studied by the Commission with the single intervention of the State (1), backing for Areva (2) a double partnership with Siemens and with Areva (3).
The Commission opened a detailed investigation into the plan to save Alstom last year, which included EUR 3.2 bn. This was presented to the Commission by the French authorities last June (EUROPE 16 October 2003). The selling off of Alstom business interests to third parties could facilitate the process.