Guest commentary: The great Airbus mistake – and what it means for KNDS
A KNDS, whose sole shareholders would be the governments of Germany and France, would face a fundamental conflict of interest, says Thomas Enders.
The article discusses a myth in Berlin politics that Airbus came under French control in 2013 after a reform of its ownership structure and governance, resulting in Germany losing influence. The author, who helped shape the reform, disputes this narrative, stating that the reality is different. In 2012/13, the system of state and industrial shareholders, political influence, and national interests was changed, with state holdings limited and France's influence as a shareholder reduced.
An independent supervisory board was created, allowing Germany and France to protect their national security interests with equal stakes, while management and the board would make business decisions, not governments.
Written by urgent.news from Handelsblatt's report — not a translation of it. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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