Ailing German carmaker Opel represents a special case and exceptional support measures to save it are justified, European Union (EU) Industry Commissioner Guenter Verheugen said Wednesday.
"I think these are exceptional circumstances, which do not apply to other European constructors and which justify consideration of exceptional measures," the commissioner from Germany told European Parliament here.
Verheugen said Opel is a "special case" in Europe because its difficulties are "solely caused by the crisis situation at General Motors in the United States."
Verheugen had earlier said European carmakers would get "not a cent" beyond existing help for research and development projects.
Opel, a European division of the struggling U.S. giant General Motors, has asked the German government to provide credit guarantees of more than one billion euros (1.26 billion U.S. dollars) as a precaution against a possible liquidity crisis in the medium-term.
Following a meeting with Opel Chief Executive Hans Demant and the head of GM's European operations, Carl-Peter Forster, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Monday her government would decide on the request before Christmas.
But the same day, German Finance Minister Peer Steinbrueck ruled out a financial rescue package for the auto sector.
European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso had signaled support for soft loans to EU carmakers through the European Investment Bank (EIB) to help them develop greener cars.
But he warned any national support measure should be in line with EU state aid rules and be timely, targeted and temporary.
Source:Xinhua
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