For Veolia, the acquisition of Suez "is a matter of sovereignty"

INTERVIEW

Veolia does not want to waste time.

The world leader in environmental services refused Wednesday to postpone the deadline for its offer to Engie to buy back its shares in its competitor Suez, set for September 30.

Estelle Brachlianoff, deputy general manager of Veolia, defended the strategy of her company Wednesday evening on Europe 1.

"It is a sovereignty issue for the country," assured the leader.

"If we look at the global market, Veolia and Suez are very small, even though we are number 1 and 2. We don't want to let what happened in digital technology a few years ago happen: France had invented the Minitel, and yet it is the Americans who are at the head of the global Internet, ”she added.

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"We don't want Suez to fall into just any hand"

It will now be up to Engie, whose main shareholder is the State, to decide: sell or not its 29.9% stake in Suez to Veolia, which has submitted an offer of 2.9 billion euros valid until to September 30.

"We don't want it to fall into just any hand. A lot of people are interested in these activities, like the Chinese and investment funds. It's a strategic operation, there is a real stake for it. does not fall into other hands than French hands ", developed Estelle Brachlianoff.