Posted on 03/20/2009 9:11:42 PM PDT by bruinbirdman
France has provoked accusations of protectionism after carmaker Renault announced it would repatriate part of its production from Eastern Europe to France.
Renault announced that Clio Campus cars currently made at the Novo mesto plant in Slovenia would be produced at the Flins plant, west of Paris from June, saying the switch would create 400 jobs.
It came despite previous guarantees from France that it would not resort to protectionism to safeguard French jobs in the economic downturn.
President Nicolas Sarkozy caused outrage in Eastern Europe last month by proposing to "re-localise" car plants run by French producers.
He granted £5.6 billion in soft loans to Renault and Peugeot Citroen in exchange for a promise not to shut French plants or axe French jobs. France dropped the condition, however, after European Union objections.
But French Secretary of State for Industry, Luc Chatel, suggested the Renault moves were part of a quid pro quo deal for state aid.
He said: "Production of a model which has until now been produced outside France will return home."
The car maker claimed the Slovenian site could not satisfy demand for the Clio and Twingo models it makes on a single production line.
It said it would seek to fill the new jobs in France by transferring workers from other French sites. A spokesman insisted the move would not entail any job losses at the Slovenian plant, which is at full capacity.
However, Mr Chatel's remarks sparked instant concern at the European Commission.
"The commission will ask the French authorities for explanations," said Jonathan Todd, spokesman on competition issues. "What is astonishing in this case is that the industry minister Luc Chatel made the declaration which would be directly linked to a French automobile plan."
He said it appeared to contradict
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
What’s wrong with France protecting French jobs?
You can call the French many nasty things, and likely be accurate, but you can never say that they haven’t retained a strong sense of self preservation and national survival.
We haven’t.
Those yutes in the arrondisments will be toast, eventually. We’ll end up persecuting our own to protect our version of same.
I see shades of the 3rd world war....
You can call the French many nasty things, and likely be accurate, but you can never say that they haven’t retained a strong sense of self preservation and national survival.
We haven’t.
_________________________
You’re right. Except the Muslums.
I see shades of the 3rd world war....
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We are living our comfortable lives on borrowed time.
Wouldn’t deporting North Africans also help reduce unemployment?
It's exactly the same reason the Gordon Brown found out that saying “British jobs for British workers” is illegal under EU law.
The idiots didn't realize that the Common Market would evolve and all of the countries would start losing their sovereignty to the “greater good” of Europe.
It was a slow process, but pretty well irreversible...
Yes Renault round base light bulbs in square sockets.
The discussion came around to deer hunting.
The journalist asked, "What do you think is the last thought in the head of a deer before you shoot him? Is it, 'Are you my friend?' or is it 'Are you the one who killed my brother?'"
Nugent replied, "Deer aren't capable of that kind of thinking.
All they care about is, what am I going to eat next, who am I going to screw next, and can I run fast enough to get away.
They are very much like the French."
The interview ended.
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