Employers’ power sale plea ‘too late’

Calls by employers for a delay in the sale of the country’s two biggest power companies to foreign players are too late, and not directed at the right people, MPs and ministers said on Thursday.


Employers organisation VNO-NCW has written to the cabinet urging it to halt the sales of energy firms Nuon and Essent, saying the provision of energy is too important to leave the decision to Essent and Nuon’s local and provincial government shareholders.
‘The national interest is at stake,’ the letter states, before calling for a three month moratorium. ‘The Netherlands must use this three months to think again about the sale in principle.’
Germany’s RWE wants take over Essent for €9.3bn, while Sweden’s Vattenfall has reached an €8.5bn deal with Nuon.
Christian Democrat and Labour MPs told news agency ANP the plea was directed to the wrong people. ‘Ministers have nothing to say about this,’ said one CDA MP.
The sale of Essent is currently up in the air because a narrow majority of councillors in the province of Noord-Brabant are opposed. Noord-Brabant owns 30.8% of its shares. A final decision is due to be taken on Friday.
Den Bosch city council, which owns 3.73% of Essent is also against the sale.

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