He asked the government to take a stand. Former Minister Arnaud Montebourg would like the executive to prohibit the takeover by an American group of the French company Segault, a supplier for the French nuclear industry, and says he is ready to acquire it thanks to an alliance with a fund of ‘investment.
Segault, based near Paris and which indicates on its site to employ 80 employees, notably supplies Naval Group, a French naval defense manufacturer, with valves for the nuclear boiler rooms which equip national nuclear submarines. Its parent company, the Canadian company Velan, “is preparing to be acquired by OPA by Flowserve Corporation, an American multinational company”, indicates Arnaud Montebourg, cantor of Made in France, in a letter addressed to the Minister of the Economy. and Finance Bruno Le Maire on March 31.
Prevent the SME from falling under American control
“It seems heavily prejudicial to the interests of our Nation” that Segault “passes under the control of Flowserve Corporation […] We cannot accept that information concerning the technologies used by our nuclear submarines are potentially transmitted to a foreign government”, writes Arnaud Montebourg, referring to the “Patriot Act”.
This American law “allows the American government to request from any American company, without any judicial authorization or the slightest motivation, any information within the framework of unilateral investigations beyond any control, carried out by its external intelligence services, relating in particular to the activity of espionage”, indicates the former socialist.
Arnaud Montebourg, 60, thus asks Bercy to “notify without delay a ban on the acquisition of the company Segault” to Flowserve. As soon as “this ban has been notified, we will immediately enter into negotiations with the current owners in order to present our candidacy for the takeover”, he adds.