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The French government is angry after the surprise announcement on Tuesday (February 26th) of an entry of the Dutch state into the capital of Air France KLM. An acquisition of 12.68% of which the French State was not informed.
Bruno Le Maire remained measured Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. The Minister of the Economy merely took note of the operation and the fact that neither he nor the board of directors had been made aware. Nevertheless, a source in Bercy describes the Dutch initiative as " unfriendly, surprising and questionable ".
The method would recall that of "a trader rather than a state shareholder, " denounces the same source. The tone is given before a meeting between Bruno Lemaire and his Dutch counterpart at the end of the week.
A meeting for a " frank and friendly discussion on the rise to capital, " said the spokesman of the French government Benjamin Griveaux. For his part, French President Emmanuel Macron asked The Hague to " clarify his intentions ".
The company's stock falls on the stock market
This entry into the capital surprised the whole government, the unions and even the markets. The airline's stock is down 8% while, the title particularly volatile since the beginning of the year, had gained 15% in the space of a month.
Moreover, according to a source at the Ministry of Economy, the French government will ask the Autorité des marchés financiers to investigate the stock market movements of the action.
In any case, the Dutch government did not put 680 million euros on the table to invest, but to protect its economic interests. According to the local press, he will ask to be represented on the board of directors.