Paris (AFP)

The inter-union of the water and waste giant Suez, received Tuesday in Bercy as part of the hostile takeover bid from its competitor Veolia, has obtained the guarantee "that the State will play its role" and that it will be " vigilant, "said the representative of the CGT at the exit.

"We have expressed our exasperation over the fact that Veolia does not submit to court decisions, said Franck Reinhold von Essen, secretary of the European works council. We were clearly told that the State would play its role in at the level of the Autorité des marchés financiers. We feel them vigilant and involved in how Veolia will behave ".

In the absence of the Minister of Economy and Finance, a delegation of five members of the intersyndicale was received by its business and state participation advisor, said the staff representative.

“We said we wanted to meet Bruno Le Maire, they did not seem closed to the idea of ​​meeting again. The ministry has a role to play,” he added.

Veolia, which in October bought 29.9% of the capital of its major competitor from the energy company Engie, decided on Sunday to launch its takeover bid on the rest of the shares, considering that "its repeated attempts at friendliness have all collided to the opposition "of its target.

Seized urgently on Sunday evening by Suez, the president of the commercial court of Nanterre ordered early Monday morning Veolia to suspend the launch of any takeover bid against its competitor, pending a substantive debate.

In the process, Bruno Le Maire announced the seizure of the AMF, this hostile offer violating according to him the commitments made on several occasions by Veolia.

"It can pose competition problems and it clearly rushed", argued the minister.

© 2021 AFP