Germany said on Monday that there was no need for General Motors to revisit its decision to sell a majority stake in its European unit Opel/Vauxhall after the EU raised concerns about state aid.
"There is no need to question decisions that have already been taken, and in particular, in the view of the government, a repeat of the decision-making process is not needed at all," government spokesman Ulrich Wilhelm told reporters.
An earlier report in the Wall Street Journal cited unnamed sources as saying that GM was working on a "plan B" if European Union regulators scupper the sale to Canadian auto parts maker Magna and Russian state-owned lender Sberbank. GM on September 10 announced a preliminary plan to sell a 55-percent stake in Opel, with GM retaining 35 percent and employees 10 percent, a deal backed by 4.5 billion euros (6.7 billion dollars) in state aid promised by Germany.
But EU Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes last week questioned Germany's aid, saying there were "significant indications" that it was contingent on Magna winning the bidding for Opel. Making state aid contingent on one particular buyer gaining control of Opel would violate EU competition rules.
Economy ministry spokesman Felix Probst told the same regular briefing on Monday that Berlin had on Saturday sent a letter to GM and the Opel Trust, a German body responsible for Opel since June, setting out Kroes's concerns. "We are waiting for a response and we will then send it onto the Commission immediately," Probst said.