RAINER UPHOFF / MADRID
Government urges more prominence in EADS programmes as Boeing steps up technology links with Madrid
The Spanish government is pressing EADS to give the country's industry a greater role in technology development and programme leadership as the shareholders attempt to negotiate a new industrial plan for the multinational company.
Spain owns 5.6% of EADS through state holding company SEPI. Spanish science and technology minister Juan Costa says Spain's "technological and industrial participation must grow more in accordance with our capabilities than the strict criteria of do we own 1% more or less of the company".
The initial three-year plan agreed when EADS was formed - through the merger of the former Aerospatiale-Matra of France, Germany's DaimlerChrysler Aerospace and CASA of Spain- expired in July.
Costa says he wants to see "more Spanish participation in general engineering work and in the global design of aircraft". This is in line with Spain's long-term strategy of moving away from being a component and structural subcontractor to taking on project leadership roles.
Costa's deputy Pedro Morenes, Spanish secretary of state for science and technology, is careful to avoid suggestions of a conflict between his ministry and EADS, however.
"This is neither about increasing or decreasing shareholdings nor industrial participations," he told Flight International. "We are not going to interfere with EADS's management decisions. But what we definitely want is that the Spanish industry gets the role it deserves."
He says Spain is "a major customer of EADS and Airbus products, and we have provided extensive financial support to several important research and development projects. EADS cannot ignore the facts - we are just saying that Spain needs to get the participation which corresponds to the factors I just mentioned."
EADS declines to comment on the talks, which it says are a "shareholder issue" - but adds that "it is our policy to further develop our centres of excellence".
Source: Flight International
