President Francois Hollande said Tuesday that nationalising ArcelorMittal’s plant in northeastern France would be on the table in talks later with the steel giant’s chief Lakshmi Mittal.
“The nationalisation is part of the subjects of the discussion,” Hollande told a joint press conference with Belgian Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo, adding that this would apply only to the Florange plant and “in no way the entire group”.
“I will meet in a few minutes with Mr. Mittal to see what answer he can give us in respect to this requirement for us to keep the site as it is today,” Hollande said.“I will give you the answer when I have myself obtained it, but our will is to ensure that the entire site is sustainable,” he said.
France has threatened to temporarily nationalise the Florange plant, where Mittal has given the government until Saturday to find a buyer for two shuttered blast furnaces.The government says it has two offers, but only for the entire Florange site including other facilities which Mittal wants to retain and keep operating.
Mittal has refused to sell the full operation and warned that nationalisation of the Florange facilities would threaten the viability of all of its activities across France, where it employs 20,000 people.