Qatar said to be considering "substantial" investment into EADS

Qatar's government is said to be considering purchasing a substantial stake in EADS – the European aerospace and defence conglomerate which owns Airbus, Eurocopter and other major manufacturers.
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The report came from German newspaper Der Spiegel and from the Reuters news agency which said Qatar is interested in buying a 7.5 percent stake in EADS from German car maker Daimler

Der Spiege l reported yesterday that members of Qatar's government had met with German Economy Minister Philipp Roesler two weeks ago. There has been no confirmation from either German or Qatari officials or from Daimler.

Reuters commented that any move by a foreign investor to take a stake in EADS would come as a surprise because maintaining a fragile internal power balance between French and German interests in EADS has been a sensitive topic ever since the group was created.

EADS' defence portfolio includes France's nuclear weapons and German fighters, and its Airbus subsidiary guarantees about 55,000 civil jobs.

Daimler currently owns 15 percent of EADS and has voting rights for a further 7.5 percent of its shares held by a consortium of financial investors.

 

 

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