Oliver Blume, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of German automotive manufacturer Volkswagen, confirmed that they are working on transforming the company’s factory in Osnabrück to produce parts for Israel’s “Iron Dome” air defense system. Blume spoke at the congress organized by the German Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) in Frankfurt, where the newspaper’s publishers and editors discussed the political, social and economic future visions of Germany, Europe and the world.
Volkswagen’s Chief Executive Blume stated that the group, which is struggling with weak demand and increasing competition from Chinese manufacturers, aims to provide a new function to the Osnabrück facility, which it plans to withdraw from production within the framework of savings measures. Confirming that they are negotiating to shift the Osnabrück factory in northern Germany to defense industry production, Blume said, “We are in contact with various defense companies.
This could be a permanent solution for the Osnabrück facility.” he said. Arguing that Volkswagen will not be a direct manufacturer of “weapon systems”, Blume said regarding the future of the factory in question: “Volkswagen’s activities in the defense sector will focus more on military transportation and logistics, as our core competence is in this field.” he said. – Transition plan to the defense industry According to the Financial Times (FT) report, Volkswagen has negotiated a strategic partnership with the Israeli arms company Rafael Advanced Defense Systems.
The focus of the talks is on the production of critical components such as heavy-duty trucks and generators for the “Iron Dome” air defense system at the Osnabrück factory. In their statements on the subject, German government officials stated that they were closely following the transformation in the automotive industry, although they refrained from commenting on the specific negotiations between VW and Rafael. In the statement, “We welcome any initiative that will secure employment in Germany.” Thus, the green light was given to the project.
The Osnabrück facility, where approximately 2,300 people work, currently produces Porsche’s Cayman and Boxster models and the T-Roc Cabriolet. The transition plan to the defense industry is considered a critical part of Volkswagen’s strategy to compensate for losses in the passenger vehicle division and preserve employment at a time when Europe is in the process of rearmament. – Warning of “complicity in war crimes” Volkswagen’s move in question brought about political and legal debates in Germany.
Left Party Deputy Mirze Edis, in his statement to the AA correspondent, stated that a defense cooperation with Israel could make Berlin “a party to war crimes” and added: “We cannot think of providing job security by sacrificing other lives.” he said. Legal experts Torsten Menge and Aidan Simardone, on the other hand, referred to the decisions of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and warned that providing equipment to an army involved in genocide and human rights violations could violate Germany’s international law obligations.
Recalling VW’s Nazi-era past, experts emphasized that it was “tragic” for the company to produce in a conflict zone again. Source: AA
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