France opposes Renault-Nissan merger, says keep alliance as is
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“What we want is to conserve the alliance,” Valls said Sunday on Europe 1 radio. “We don’t desire a merger.”
There isn’t any “agitation” around the alliance and France has “trust” in the executives of Renault and Nissan, Valls said. He reiterated the government may cut its stake in Renault from 19.7 percent to about 15 percent, Bloomberg reports.
The structure of the alliance has become a source of tension after the French government bought a bigger stake in Renault without warning Carlos Ghosn, who’s CEO of both carmakers. With backing from Renault’s board of directors, Ghosn is opposing the government’s attempt to make use of a new rule, the so-called Florange law, to get double voting rights as a long-term investor.
France vowed to sell back its additional 4.7 percent stake when market conditions have improved. It hasn’t given a more concrete time frame. ■