General Motors executives convened with European officials in Brussels on Monday to request financial aid in their restructuring plan, reopening a public dispute over state aid and job protections.
Nick Reilly, chief executive of the automakers European operations asked for the support of any government willing to offer funds for the medium term.
Last week Reilly announced plans to cut 20 percent to 25 percent of G.M.’s production capacity in Europe and the thousands of jobs that likely accompany that. Discussions over the fate of G.M. enterprises in Europe follow the company’s decision to maintain operations there rather than sell them as part of the automaker’s restructuring in September.
The Representatives of the companies attending the meeting, Britain, Spain, Poland, Belgium, Sweden and Germany, all with G.M. plants, have spoken out on the topic, agreeing to discuss aid only G.M. presents a definitive restructuring plan.
Earlier this year, the German government offered a bridge loan of $6.7 billion if G.M. sold the majority of its European enterprise to Magna International. While it was happening reports surfaced that Germany preferred the Magna consortium’s bid over a rival offer by an American private equity firm because Magna had assured to protect German jobs. This preference led to other European Nations where G.M. houses plants to believe that Germany wasn’t considering international interests and instead protecting its own at the expense of workers in neighboring nations. That, in turn, led other countries where G.M. has plants to complain that Germany was protecting its own interests at the expense of workers in other countries.
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