Fiat: National egotism takes priority over profit

The Italian car maker Fiat admitted last week that it shifted production of its budget model the Panda from Poland to Italy to strengthen the domestic economy although it was turning a healthy profit in Poland. The liberal daily Gazeta Wyborcza condems this lack of solidarity and good business sense: "The company's decision came as a hard blow for the factory in Tychy and its suppliers. Since 2003 the production of the Panda had put food on their tables. ... That is yet another example of how in times of crisis national interests outweigh not only European solidarity in the Western European car sector, but also balance sheet considerations. ... And how does the Polish government plan to overcome this setback? No one knows, because there are no government programmes on the subject of the car industry."

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