European Commission Asks Information On Relocation Of Nokia From Germany To Romania

The exchange of information came on the heels of pressures exerted on the EU by Germany, sources said, stating that it was, however, a normal information procedure.

“There is no talk of accusing Romania for granting state subsidies to Nokia, but only to conduct a regular dialog on the topic as  part of a regular procedure of information,” said the source.

The Nokia plant in Romania is located in Jucu village, in the Tetarom 3 industrial park owned by the Cluj city municipality. According to North-West Region Development Authority, local authorities developed the industrial park with local financing alone, and no EU financing was used.

EU Regional Fund cannot finance the relocation of plants and installations around Europe, and that Romania's operational project specifically forbids such financing, said Themis Christophidou, expert with the cabinet for the EU Commissioner for regional policies.

For his part, European Commission President Jose Manuel Durao Barroso said in January that “Nokia did not access EU funds for transferring its production facilities from Bochum, Germany, to Romania.” He added that Nokia's move towards Eastern Europe made sense “as much as it must have made transferring production from Finland to Germany.”