French concern Alstom is ready to increase the level of localization in the contract for the supply of electric locomotives to Ukraine
This was announced by the Minister of Economy, Finance, and Reconstruction of France Bruno Le Maire.
“As for the contract for the supply of electric locomotives, Alstom is ready to localize up to 35% of production and service in Ukraine. At the beginning of the discussion, Alstom planned to localize about 20% of production in Ukraine. We realized that this was not enough. This is a clear indication of our readiness to take into account the legitimate request of the Ukrainian authorities, ”said Le Maire.
According to Interfax-Ukraine, he stressed that France fully understands the request of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, who wants French companies involved in contracts with Ukraine to locate a significant part of their production in Ukraine.
“This is a perfectly legal requirement, and we acted accordingly,” added Le Maire.
The Minister noted that France has a long history with Ukraine, and he is determined to open a new chapter of this long journey from an economic point of view.
“There is a significant network of French companies in Ukraine: now there are 160 French companies in the country, employing 30,000 people. This makes French companies the leading international employers in Ukraine. We also want to strengthen our ties in very specific sectors: utilities with the distribution of drinking water, invest.com/investing-in-ukraine/business-opportunities/energy/" rel="dofollow">energy, infrastructure, and transport such as trains, healthcare, and of course agriculture. In all these areas, I think there are opportunities for deepening and expanding relations, ”said Le Maire.
