Airbus warns could leave UK if no Brexit deal

Airbus warns could leave UK if no Brexit deal

AFP/File / PASCAL PAVANIAirbus says the post-Brexit transition period is "too short"

Aviation giant Airbus has warned it could pull out of Britain if it leaves the European Union without a deal, upping the pressure Friday on Prime Minister Theresa May to make progress in Brexit negotiations with Brussels.

The European group, which directly employs nearly 15,000 people, warned that crashing out of the bloc would be "catastrophic" and force it to consider its investments.

"Put simply, a 'no deal' scenario directly threatens Airbus' future in the UK," said chief operating officer Tom Williams.

May's government holds out the possibility of walking away as a negotiating tactic, but says she expects to get a deal before it exits the bloc on March 29 next year.

"We have made significant progress towards agreeing a deep and special partnership with the EU to ensure trade remains as free and frictionless as possible, including in the aerospace sector," a spokeswoman said.

However, talks are stalled on the issue of the Irish border and Britain's indecision over what it wants.

EU leaders, who will meet May at a summit next week, have warned that time is running out, while Brussels has urged them to step up preparations for no deal.

- 'Livelihood smashed' -

Britain intends to leave the EU's single market and customs union to forge its own independent trade policy and end free movement of labour.

AFP/File / OLI SCARFFAirbus says delays and disruptions to its production could be "catastrophic"

In a Brexit risk assessment, Airbus said if plans for a transition deal failed and this break happened in March, it "would lead to severe disruption".

"This scenario would force Airbus to reconsider its investments in the UK, and its long-term footprint in the country," the report said.

Airbus builds wings and landing gear for commercial aircraft in Britain and also has a space technology centre in the country, supporting 117,000 jobs overall.

In Wales, where one of the largest of more than 25 Airbus sites is based, the devolved government run by the UK's opposition Labour party said the warning was "extremely worrying".

Labour's UK Brexit spokesman Keir Starmer said May's "reckless decision to keep no deal on the table and to rule out a customs union or strong single market deal after Brexit is putting jobs and the economy at risk".

Former Wales minister Stephen Crabb, a member of May's Conservative party, said it was a "wake-up call".

Steve Turner, of Britain's biggest trade union Unite, added: "People voted to leave the EU, but didn't back leave to lose their jobs and see their livelihoods smashed on the cliff face of a 'hard Brexit'."

However, Ian Paisley Jnr, an MP for the Brexit-supporting Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) which props up May's government, said it was a "scare story".

"The EU needs a deal and the UK is going to get a deal!"

A string of airlines, banks and other corporate household names have already activated their contingency plans to move jobs or restructure because of Brexit.

- Transition 'too short' -

AFP/File / OLI SCARFFAirbus employs nearly 15,000 people at more than 25 sites in Britain, where it manufactures the wings of its aircraft

The government has agreed a post-Brexit transition period that will last until December 2020, to allow time for a new economic partnership to be struck with the EU.

But Airbus said this was "too short" for a new agreement to be made and "too short for Airbus to implement the required changes with its extensive supply chain".

It said it would "carefully monitor any new investments", and Williams admitted that "in any scenario, Brexit has severe negative consequences".

May's spokeswoman said there would be talks with Airbus later on Friday, adding: "There is an open dialogue there and we continue to talk to them."

Carmaker BMW also warned that uncertainty was affecting the investment climate.

"If we don't get clarity in the next couple of months we have to start making those contingency plans -- which means investing money in systems that we might not need, in warehouses that might not be usable in the future, in effectively making the UK automotive industry less competitive than it is in a very competitive world right now," Ian Robertson, special representative of the BMW Group in the UK, told the BBC.

Airbus adverte pode deixar o Reino Unido se não houver acordo Brexit

A gigante da aviação Airbus alertou que poderia sair da Grã-Bretanha se deixar a União Europeia sem um acordo, aumentando a pressão na sexta-feira da primeira-ministra Theresa May para avançar nas negociações do Brexit com Bruxelas. O grupo europeu, que emprega diretamente quase 15 mil pessoas, alertou que o colapso do bloco seria "catastrófico" e forçaria a considerar seus investimentos. "Simplificando, um cenário de 'não acordo' ameaça diretamente o futuro da Airbus no Reino Unido", disse o diretor de operações Tom Williams. O governo de maio mantém a possibilidade de se afastar como uma tática de negociação, mas diz que espera obter um acordo antes de sair do bloco em 29 de março do próximo ano. "Fizemos um progresso significativo no sentido de firmar uma parceria profunda e especial com a UE para garantir que o comércio permaneça o mais livre e sem fricção possível, inclusive no setor aeroespacial", disse uma porta-voz. No entanto, as negociações estão paralisadas sobre a questão da fronteira irlandesa e da indecisão da Grã-Bretanha sobre o que quer. Os líderes da UE, que se reunirão em maio em uma cúpula na semana que vem, advertiram que o tempo está se esgotando, enquanto Bruxelas os incitou a intensificar os preparativos para a falta de acordos.

Uma série de companhias aéreas, bancos e outros nomes de empresas já ativaram seus planos de contingência para mudar de emprego ou reestruturar-se por causa do Brexit. - Transição "muito curta" - AFP / File / OLI SCARFF A Airbus emprega cerca de 15.000 pessoas em mais de 25 locais na Grã-Bretanha, onde fabrica as asas de seus aviões O governo concordou com um período de transição pós-Brexit que durará até dezembro de 2020, para dar tempo a uma nova parceria econômica com a UE. Mas a Airbus disse que isso era "muito curto" para que um novo acordo fosse feito e "muito curto para a Airbus implementar as mudanças necessárias com sua extensa cadeia de fornecimento". Ele disse que iria "monitorar cuidadosamente qualquer novo investimento", e Williams admitiu que "em qualquer cenário, o Brexit tem graves conseqüências negativas". A porta-voz de maio disse que haverá conversas com a Airbus na sexta-feira, acrescentando: "Existe um diálogo aberto e continuamos a conversar com eles". A montadora BMW também alertou que a incerteza estava afetando o clima de investimento. "Se não tivermos clareza nos próximos meses, temos que começar a fazer esses planos de contingência - o que significa investir dinheiro em sistemas que talvez não precisemos, em armazéns que podem não ser utilizáveis ​​no futuro, para efetivamente a indústria automotiva do Reino Unido é menos competitiva do que em um mundo muito competitivo no momento ”, disse Ian Robertson, representante especial do BMW Group no Reino Unido, à BBC.

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