FRANKFURT -(Dow Jones)- Juergen Ruettgers, state premier of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, said Thursday that any aid for car maker Adam Opel GmbH, a unit of General Motors Co., would hinge upon the company's "long-term prospects."
Ruettgers and other governors from states with Opel factories met with German Economics Minister Rainer Bruederle in Berlin Thursday evening to discuss GM's decision to keep Opel.
The state premier of Hesse, Roland Koch, said Germany's prior help with state aid gives the country a say in the car maker's future. "We saved Opel with state aid," he said.
GM's board decided late Tuesday to retain Opel and its sister U.K. brand, Vauxhall, rather then sell them to Magna, a Canadian auto supplier, and its Russian partner, OAO Sberbank (SBER.RS).
The decision, an abrupt shift after months of negotiations focused on the Magna deal, surprised and infuriated German politicians.
-By Patrick McGroarty , Dow Jones Newswires; +49 69 29725 500; djnews.frankfurt@dowjones.com