German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier presents the national industry strategy for 2030 during a news conference in Berlin, Germany, February 5, 2019. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch
February 5, 2019
BERLIN (Reuters) – Germany could take stakes in companies to prevent foreign takeovers in some key technology areas, Economy Minister Peter Altmaier said on Tuesday as he outlined a national industrial strategy.
“It can go as far as the state taking temporary stakes in companies – not to nationalize them and run them in the long run but to prevent key technologies being sold off and leaving the country,” Altmaier said.
(Reporting by Michelle Martin and Paul Carrel; Writing by Madeline Chambers)
