CHIRAC AFFIRMS 'FULL CONFIDENCE' IN BATTERED AIRBUS

BRUSSELS, June 16, 2006 (AFP) - French President Jacques Chirac said Friday he had full confidence in aircraft manufacturer Airbus, which this week announced delays in the delivery of its A380 superjumbo jet and sparked a sharp plunge in the share price of parent company EADS.

"The company is entirely mobilised," Chirac told reporters on the sidelines of an EU summit in Brussels. "I have every confidence in it."

[He also said this: "One must not exaggerate. ... Airbus is a grand project, a very big European success."]

EADS co-chief executive Noël Forgeard said earlier Friday that this week's events "should serve as a lesson to us. ... One always learns as much from one's failures as from one's successes ... After the battering which we've just had, all the elements are in place for us to pick up the pieces."

Succeed or fail, you will always learn just as much. We are curious to see if EADS investors find that a suitable management philosophy. Our guess is they would prefer M. Forgeard do his learning by delivering airplanes not by the equal expedience of failing to deliver them.

'URGENT DECISIONS' NEEDED OVER EADS: VILLEPIN
PARIS June 21, 2006 (AFP)

CHIRAC ADMITS TO 'AIRBUS PROBLEM'

June 26, 2006 (BBC) - "There is a problem which EADS has encountered with its two chairmen and two chief executives," Mr Chirac said in a television interview.

"It is probable that we have to do something and something will be done," he added.

[He also said this: ...he would be "shocked" if it turned out that Forgeard had acted irregularly, but that he would not prejudge the investigation of stock market authorities.]

During weekend meetings with shareholders, French Finance Minister Thierry Breton said the firm's management crisis needed to be resolved quickly to restore confidence in its operations. He set a Tuesday deadline [NB] for proposals to remedy its problems.

Uh-oh, looks like Airbus isn't the only one that can't make a deadline.

FRANCE'S DEADLINE TO RESOLVE EADS CRISIS EXPIRES

PARIS June 27, 2006 (AFP) - A French deadline to resolve a management crisis that has rocked the European aerospace giant EADS, the maker of Airbus planes, was due to expire later Tuesday. But sources said that Breton would have difficulty in meeting his self-imposed deadline.

We can only hope M. Breton is not constrained by the 35-hour work week.

FRENCH REGULATORS RAID EADS OFFICES IN PARIS

PARIS June 27, 2006 (IHT) - The French government's self- imposed deadline to resolve the crisis at EADS passed Tuesday with no resolution of who would take over as chairman in a management restructuring.

Adding to the uncertainty, EADS, formally European Aeronautic Defense & Space, disclosed that French market regulators had searched the company's Paris offices Tuesday as part of an inquiry into whether top managers, including the company's French co-chief executive, Noël Forgeard, were privy to inside information when they sold EADS shares in March.

PFFT (What is this?): No problems except the problems 4 | Probably something will be done 2½ | Confidence through speedy government action 0 | Rayonnement français 0

Mille excuses ma contribution n' était pas à la bonne place.
Elle est plus à sa place ici;

Bonjour,

L' ARMEE YANKS CHOISIT EUROCOPTER=EADS !

Pave France n'aime pas EADS.
Ce n'est pas l'avis de l'armée yanks qui vient de conclure un gros contrat avec la filliale EUROCOPTER d' EADS.
Peut-être un début de repentir des Yanks envers la France avec leur échec en Irak...

Good luck to ? your country in Irak !