The government of Germany demands 41 million euro from Nokia
The government of Germany has demanded from the manufacturer of mobile phones Nokia Oyj to return the state grant at the rate of 41 million the euro, received on financing of a factory, which now the company intends to close. The specified grants, which state bank NRW.Bank demands to return, have been given in 1998, and 1999.
The Ministry of Economics of Germany has declared that Nokia has not satisfied the term of granting grants according to which, the company ought to create a minimum of constant workplaces.
In the document, represented in this occasion, it is spoken that this parameter was below demanded since 2002. The company can give the answer to this requirement in week term.
Nokia, from its part, has exclaimed surprise by the requirement of return of the above-named sum and has declared that it even exceeded the requirements, which were put forward by terms of grants.
Let’s remind, Nokia has informed that it plans to close the factory in German Bochum and to transfer manufacture on other factories in the Europe in the middle of January, 2008. It is expected, that the factory will be closed up to the middle of current year. Then Nokia has declared about the intention to stop other activity in Bochum, in particular to sell automobile business, and also that negotiations on sale of researches and software development division, are being carried out with company Sasken Technologies. In connection with these plans the company informed on reduction of nearby 2,3 thousand employees.
Nokia motivates the decision on termination of activity in this region with lack of competitiveness and specifies that re-equipment and improvement of a factory will require additional investments in case of which realization the problem of noncompetitiveness, nevertheless, will not be solved.
