Brussels, 14/11/2005 (Agence Europe) - The crisis in the French multinational, ALSTOM, which could cause thousands of job losses, was discussed on 9 November in Brussels between MEPs and employees of ALSTOM from France, Germany, Poland and Portugal. On this occasion, the president of the GUE/NGL Group, Francis Wurtz, gave his full support to “the struggle by ALSTOM's employees to maintain the company's remaining workplaces throughout Europe”. He also urged the European Commission to “finally take responsibility and come up with a real European industry policy”. Following in his wake, Helmet Markov, German member of the GUE/NGL Group, asserted that a Commission strategy on European industry ”must provide clear prospects to keep and develop hi-tech research and industry inside the Union so as to secure jobs in those sectors. This will guarantee their vitality in the long term”. For details of the ALSTOM affair, which had been dealt with at the time by Competition Commissioner Mario Monti and French Economy Minister Nicolas Sarkozy, see EUROPE of 29 April 2004, 14d May 2004 and 8 July 2004.