Brussels, 27/02/2009 (Agence Europe) - Before discussing the question at the special EU summit in Brussels on 1 March 2009, the French President, Nicolas Sarkozy, criticised the measures for the European car industry unveiled by the European Commission on 25 February as lacking teeth (see EUROPE 9848). The EU plan aims to protect the single market and meet EU27 demands for support for the car industry but restricts the measures that national governments can introduce and fails to come up with any fundamental EU scheme to back the industry so devastated by the current financial and economic crisis. Nicholas Sarkozy said he hoped the Commission would react and would understand that something exists that is called the European car industry and it has to be saved. This means that things have to be coordinated, he explained, adding that he would be defending the idea on Sunday of a coordinated European car industry coordination plan. He said it was disappointing that this had not yet been done because coordination is vital. More needs to be done for the car industry, he added, than simply examining the compatibility of state aid measures with EU competition rules. The Commission is currently examining the compatibility of state aid plans for six Member States, including France, to ensure they do not include any protectionist measures that could create an uneven playing field for other European car manufacturers. Sarkozy said that his plans to support French car firms were not protectionist. He said he didn't want France to import cars but that was not protectionism. France is not planning to lose its car industry, he explained, adding that the compatibility of US car industry aid measures with World Trade Organisation rules needed to be examined. (E.H. trans fl)