Volkswagen chief Oliver Blume has called for a better political framework in Europe for businesses.
“The business sector must become more competitive and create attractive offerings, while policymakers must establish the right framework conditions,” Blume said at an event organized by the car manufacturer in Paris. He described this as a shared responsibility.
He pointed out that VW is already driving forward the necessary structural change through the largest transformation programme in its history. “Europe’s future is in our collective hands,” Blume stressed.
The crisis in the automobile industry is currently hitting Europe’s largest carmaker hard. To become more resilient and competitive, the group’s executive board intends to save billions over the coming years and cut a further 50,000 jobs worldwide, around half of which will be in Germany.
It is not yet publicly known how many of these jobs are to be cut directly at Volkswagen – as opposed to at other group brands.
Furthermore, the future of the VW plants in Emden, Hanover and Zwickau, as well as the Audi site in Neckarsulm, remains uncertain.
Source: finance.yahoo.com
