by Marine Pennetier and Jean-Baptiste Vey
PARIS (Reuters) – The cancellation by Poland of an order for 50 military helicopters Caracal Airbus has attracted serious diplomatic crisis between Paris and Warsaw, to the point that the French authorities are considering retaliatory measures.
the relationship between The two member countries of the european Union and Nato will be “severely affected” by the Polish decision, and France is going to “re-examine the whole” its defence cooperation with Poland, according to a French source close to the folder.
The French State, shareholder of Airbus to the tune of 11%, will ensure that the group reviews its investment projects in Poland, added the source.
The contract, which focused on the delivery of 50 helicopters Caracal for an amount of 13,5 billion pln (3,14 billion euros), which accounted for over 3,000 jobs in Poland, according to Airbus.
Airbus Group currently employs approximately 900 employees in Poland, in the spatial, helicopters and military aircraft, with a research center in the country.
On the diplomatic front, the proposed consultations on 13 October in Warsaw in the presence of François Hollande, have been postponed sine die after the confirmation, Friday, by the Polish minister of Defence of the cancellation of the call for tenders won in April 2015 by Airbus Helicopters.
A visit from the French minister of Defence Jean-Yves Le Drian, scheduled for Monday in the Polish capital, has also been cancelled.
“the president of the Republic asked the minister of foreign Affairs to move quickly in Warsaw,” says one in the entourage of François Hollande.
The Quai d’orsay informed a little later that Jean-Marc Ayrault wouldn’t make it Thursday in Warsaw, contrary to what had been previously announced.
The Polish minister of foreign Affairs, Witold Waszczykowski, has assured that “consultations between the governments of poland and the French have been postponed, not cancelled”.
Explaining that “the final offer of Airbus Helicopters did not meet our expectations”, he added, remain confident in the continuation of the cooperation with France.
“Our bilateral relations are of strategic nature and are based on a wide range of priorities and projects of common interest”, he said.
“TRADING ERRATIC”
The agreement on the contract had been concluded by the previous Polish government, defeated in the general elections in October 2015 by the Law and Justice party (PiS), the eurosceptic. Airbus had at the time been preferred to the american Sikorsky and the Italian AgustaWestland.
“Before we had a platform of the centre-right who understood that it was in the interest of Poland, beyond the axis with the United States, to maintain a bilateral relationship with the French and the Germans,” notes a source in diplomatic French.
“There was a PiS, which clearly fails to understand the benefits derived by Poland, which, however, are massive, its european identity”, she adds.
In the way in which the negotiation had been conducted, “it is clear that the Poles have never had the intention to comply with the call for tenders,” says a French source close to the folder. “In this negotiation a bit erratic, Airbus has always tried to stick to the rules of the tender and, therefore, the sovereignty of Poland.”
earlier Friday, Manuel Valls, had expressed the concern of France for the future of european Defence.
“The choices that have just been announced, for what concerns France, we are concerned with, including in relation to negotiations that had been committed – but also (compared) to the design of the european Defence”, said the Prime minister.
François Hollande had warned Thursday the european countries buying us arms and had called on all EU countries to co-ordinate to “participate in a Defence effort”.
“there are european countries who think that the United States will always be there to protect them, even to the point of buying weapons only the United States and not the Europeans”, said the head of State in a speech on Europe.
(With Agnieszka Barteczk in Warsaw, Jean-Michel Belot, Elizabeth Pineau and John Irish in Paris, edited by Sophie Louet)
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