French President Gathers Ministers To Discuss Alstom's Case

 

French President Francois Hollande gathered ministers on Sunday evening to discuss the case of struggling engineering firm Alstom, with jobs, location of activities and energetic independence in mind, his office said in a statement.

The French government and Germany's Siemens intervened in U.S. giant General Electric's plan to buy Alstom's power arm earlier on Sunday by offering an alternative tie-up between European "champions" and a pledge to act in France's national interest.

A spokesman for the president's office said the ministers' meeting was now over and that it planned to release another statement on the subject by Monday morning. (Reporting by Natalie Huet; Editing by Andrew Callus)