France proposed to Italy to expand the negotiations for the shipyards of STX France has a military co-operation to build “a great champion of the shipbuilding industry of europe”, announced the Economy minister Bruno Le Maire.
In an interview in the Journal du Dimanche, the minister said, prior to his meeting Tuesday with the Italian minister of Economy and finance Pier Carlo Padoan and economic Development Carlo Calenda, the president Macron intended to make “a gesture of openness” in extending the negotiations to a military co-operation.
“Until then we were going on a basis of cooperation in the industrial sector civil”, recalled the minister who is going to do with the “Italian friends” of France “that we can do in the military sector, in the surface vessels”.
“Let’s build a great champion of the shipbuilding industry of europe”, offers Mr. Mayor. It reaffirms, however, that in the event of failure of the negotiations, “we will seek other buyers”, a solution that he says he doesn’t want to.
Protect the interests of France
France thus intends to protect “its interests, as China or the United States,” explained The Mayor, insisting on the side of the temporary of what he avoids to call a “nationalization” even if the French State holds 100% of the STX since it has decided to exercise its right of pre-emption.
According to him, the agreement concluded under the presidency of François Holland was “not sufficiently protective of the interests indutriels French strategic”.On Thursday, the two ministers the Italian had reiterated their position: “we welcome the minister to The Mayor next Tuesday in Rome, and we will listen to the proposals of the French government on the basis of this basic essential” that is in control of STX France by Fincantieri, they said.
(With AFP)
