Germany and France want to forge a common manufacturer for high-speed trains. The Alliance is also directed against China. However, EU antitrust guardians have concerns.
The merger of the Zugsparten of Siemens (Germany) and Alstom (France). Actually, in a few weeks, a European Champion in the field of high-speed trains. But if the EU agrees to Commission, is very uncertain.
The EU Commissioner for competition, Danish Margrethe Vestager, provides for the merger of the two European track Champions in any case critical. “We are talking here about two great companies that are able to survive in the competition,” she said a few days ago, the weekly newspaper “die Zeit”. “We have seen, the Chinese presence in the market. Alstom and Siemens are already world champion in your business, not only the champion of Europe.”
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With the strong competition from China, it has to include the new manufacturers, to have its seat in France, according to the will of corporate executives on the world market. In order to do that, you want to place the Siemens-division Mobility with Alstom S. A. together. Through the issuance of new Alstom shares to Siemens AG, the company should include about half of Siemens AG and the other half of the former Alstom.
locations and jobs, the company received a four-year guarantee. With the worldwide famous high-speed trains ICE and TGV, then two products are with high reputation from a single source. So if you want to offer Chinese manufacturers, such as, for example, the group CRRC Paroli, the master, in the meantime, the world market for trains. The figures show:
manufacturer country sales worldwide (in billion Euro) CRRCChina26,8 Alstom+Siemens France/Deutschland5,6 BombardierKanada6,8 HitachiJapan4,3 General ElectricUSA3,4
And also in the area of high-speed, China is in the fast Lane: In just under 30,000 kilometers is the Chinese rail network for high-speed trains in a few years. On trains from the Chinese production roles more and more. Thus, CRRC has developed not only the largest train manufacturer in the world, but also a strong competitor in modern high-speed trains.
support from Paris and Berlin
supports The merger of Siemens and Alstom is the policy in Germany and France. The governments want to ensure that you can claim in Europe and in other major world markets in the future of a competitive European product against CRRC. The governments in Paris and Berlin think that it is just a common, new and larger European manufacturers.
The French Minister for economic and financial Affairs, Bruno Le Maire, said that the merger was the best and only answer to China’s growing importance in the railway sector. To reject them would be an economic and political mistake. And Federal Economics Minister, Peter Altmaier, said a few days ago: “I think, with a necessary European industrial strategy, we need to remain competitive.”
Also, the top German candidate for the office of President of the EU Commission for the merger. “It can’t be that the EU Commission said the practical cooperation between Siemens and Alstom says, with the Argument that in Europe the competition is harder,” the CSU politician Manfred Weber in Munich. “The fact is that we don’t have to think in these major markets in the European competition, but in the global competition.”
Still competitors, and soon, under one roof? ICE and TGV
concessions in a last-Minute
in the Meantime, the two companies have reacted to criticism from Brussels. So smaller firms should be made parts of, and licenses for technologies limited will be issued to a third party. According to reports, Siemens is willing to license its newest Generation of high-speed trains to a maximum of ten years to a competitor.
will prove Whether this is enough in Brussels for approval, in a few days: at the Latest on 18. In February, the EU will announce their decision.
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TGV, ICE and co.