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“E-mobility has become a core business for us. We are now systematically integrating additional stages in the value chain. We secure a long-term pole position in the race for the best battery and best customer experience in the age of zero emission mobility”, said Chairman of the Board of Management of the Volkswagen Group Herbert Diess.
Cooperation has been agreed in Europe with the energy companies BP (Great Britain), Iberdrola (Spain) and Enel (Italy).
"We are discussing it intensively, it is related to the CEZ gigafactory project, which I consider to be one of the priorities and a key investment in the coming years,” Havlicek said.
“We must not miss this opportunity, we are also following the connection to lithium mining, although it is not a condition, but it would be an excellent chain. We want to make a decision this year, we are regularly informed by CEZ, and either I
or my colleagues from the Ministry of Industry are in negotiations with potential key investors in the emerging consortium," he explained.
Details of frauds related to murky Air Moldova privatisation revealed
Iulian Ernst in Bucharest
The money paid for the privatisation of flag carrier Air Moldova was extended by the Moldasig insurance company through intermediaries of the former leader of the Democratic Party, Vladimir Plahotniuc, deputy parliament speaker Alexandru Slusari said, quoting from the report of the parliamentary commission investigating the privatisation and concession of state property.
Slusari is a founder and deputy president of the Dignity and Truth Party, set up to overthrow the regime of Plahotniuc, once the most powerful man in the country, and the commission’s investigations into the privatisation deals during the Democrat-led government have a certain political dimension.
Slusari said that on the one hand Air Moldova’s management siphoned money out of the company during 2013-2017 (MDL1.28bn or roughly €100mn) and on another hand half of the money paid to the state for Air Moldova was extended by Moldasig (allegedly a “wallet” for the money siphoned out) and “laundered” through intermediaries including quasi- anonymous individuals, according to the conclusions of the parliamentary commission.
Havlicek also told HN that Czechia can provide direct support and tax benefits for the Volkswagen factory.
"A partnership with a local manufacturer such as Skoda would be natural, but we cannot comment on such negotiations now," said CEZ's Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors Pavel Cyrani, quoted by the Czech News Agency.
According to a partner at the consulting company EY Petr Knap, when considering these investments, in addition to tax incentives, labour costs and workforce skills, the investor will also look at the state's support for electromobility. "And here in our country [the investor] will face a very below-average to negligible scale [of state support] in the EU," he stressed.
Carmaker Skoda Auto posted a drop in its operating profit by 54.4% to €765mn in 2020, mainly due to lower sales resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, exchange rate developments and extraordinary emissions-related expenses. Its revenues fell by 13.8% to €17.1bn. It delivered 1,004,800 cars to its customers worldwide, down by 19.1% year-on-year.
Recently there have been reports that the airline is in financial difficultes. In Ferbuary, the High Court in Ireland ordered an Air Moldova Airbus A319 passenger jet not to leave Dublin airport, because of an award of €4.2mn in favour of Romanian company Just-US Air, the Irish Times reported. 20 passengers, plus the aircraft’s crew, were stranded in Dublin as a result
of the order.
Civil Aviation Group, made up of Blue Air (49%) and Moldovan citizens Andrei Yanovich and Sergey Melnik (25.5% each), bought Air Moldova for MDL1.2bn in October 2018. However, out of the total value of the deal, only MDL50mn was paid for the shares and the rest of the money is the debt owed by Air Moldova to third parties. The payment was reportedly made in cash as opposed to by bank transfer. Blue Air later pulled out, saying it was not financially involved in the deal.
As Slusari noted, from 2013 to 2017, the expenses of Air Moldova increased artificially and the company’s losses amounted to RON1.28bn. In this regard, the National Centre for Combating Corruption opened a criminal case in August 2019.
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