DW: Politicians Accuse Nokia of Abusing German, EU Subsidies -
Politicians Accuse Nokia of Abusing German, EU Subsidies -
After the world's largest cell phone producer announced it would close the doors on its plant in Bochum, German politicians say they will investigate whether Nokia took unfair advantage of state and EU subsidies. Jürgen Rüttgers, the premier of North Rhine-Westphalia, where Bochum is located, told public broadcaster ZDF on Wednesday, Jan. 16, that the Finnish company was a "locust which got money in Germany and then said without warning 'we are going to Romania' to maybe get more public funds there." He also said he would attempt to recover the 60 million euros ($89 million) in subsidies the state had paid the company. Nokia also received about 28 million euros from the federal government.
