I wonder if the EU's lack of bite in the VW emissions scandal is slowly being paid back now...
From AutonewsEurope..
Volkswagen Group made an impassioned foray into politics by vowing to mobilize its workforce to vote in upcoming European Parliament elections and calling for the bloc's residents to "put an end to separatist movements."
VW is "a European company through and through," Gunnar Kilian, the automaker's personnel chief who oversees about 480,000 employees across the European Union, said in a speech in Brussels on Monday. With the elections looming at the end of May, Kilian said the automaker will "formulate a clear call for votes in the election because our democracy needs every vote."
"The European Union is a guarantee of peace, freedom, prosperity and open trade," Kilian told an audience of diplomats, civil servants and EU lawmakers. "The united Europe is our future."
EU parliament elections -- which take place every five years and represent one of the world's biggest democratic exercises -- have rarely attracted much attention. But the continent-wide vote that takes place over four days starting May 23 is shaping up to be a referendum on the 60-year European experiment.
The ballot will be the first EU election since the UK decided to leave the bloc and will feature clashes over fundamental values and policies. There is a real possibility that anti-EU parties, with Italy's Matteo Salvini in the vanguard, will win enough seats to disrupt legislative business. French President Emmanuel Macron has called the contest a choice for or against Europe.
VW is a powerful economic force in Germany and across Europe. Kilian referenced VW's brands from seven European countries and its 71 production sites across the region. While the executive did not specifically mention Brexit, the automaker is exposed to the UK's departure from the EU through its Crewe, England-based Bentley marque.
"We have to make the EU attractive once again for member states, and above all for the people who live and work here," Kilian said. "They need to experience an enriching, progressive, and joyous Europe for themselves and in their everyday lives."
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I'd be a lot happier if VW would concentrate their efforts on sorting out the problems with their 1.5TSI Evo engine.
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I saw a spokesman for Mercedes being interviewed about the difficulty they might face bringing cars into the UK and he basically said they didn't care, it was more important to Mercedes that the EU didn't do anything that might make other countries think it's easy to leave.
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VW got EU grants to move some of it's production to Slovakia and Hungary.
JLR just go EU grant to move production to Solvakia.
This is the classic dictionary definition of fascism (not the modern post-WWII definition), government run by the biggest corporations.
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VW forays into politics - Haywain
