Tengelmann: Gabriel in the Edeka case – Times Online

The Federal Ministry of Economics was first time speechless. For five hours there was no reaction, then dismissed the press office in a statement returns all allegations. Later in the day, journalists request, Sigmar Gabriel called the accusation of the Düsseldorf Higher Regional Court “absurd”.

The SPD economics minister should not have allow the merger of the supermarket chain Kaiser’s Tengelmann with Edeka single-handedly, the court had notified the morning. The behavior Gabriel founded concern about “bias” and “lack of neutrality” wrote the judges in their unusually strongly worded decision. In addition, Gabriel “secret talks” on the disputed Ministerial Decision are accused. . There is no question that the decision is dangerous for the SPD chairman, who can assure that he had acted correctly

Gabriel had exercised in March of his right to a ministerial decision and thus set an acquisition ban the Bundeskartellamt away. The Antimonopoly feared by the planned merger of supermarket chains Edeka and Tengelmann Kaiser’s another competition at the food market, the chairman of the Monopolies Commission even resigned in protest against the single-handedly by the Minister. Competitor Rewe complained against the takeover, he wanted to buy Kaiser’s Tengelmann itself.

The Court of Appeal gave the bruised competitors now law. Gabriel had negotiated with the Edeka board and the leadership of Kaiser’s Tengelmann to acquire just before Christmas 2015 – and Rewe left it outside before, they say. And, although Edeka had planned at this time a “significant job losses” at the 16,000 jobs in the supermarkets of Kaiser’s Tengelmann, Rewe while wanted to get all the jobs. Edeka has reworked its offer after the secret talks just before Christmas, namely in January. Then Gabriel ruled in favor of Edeka. A transcript of the possibly explosive conversations were deliberately not created, the Court of Appeal still shared with.

The Ministry of Economy holds against: In the process are, as usual, been conducted, also with the competitor Rewe internal negotiations. No one had been passed over.

Gabriel had always stressed just to get the 16,000 jobs he had decided on its own against the Cartel Office and supports the merger. He was able to make the ministerial approval to the preservation of jobs and workers’ rights of Kaiser’s Tengelmann employees – and he would withdraw for non-compliance of this condition also. In fact, the conditions for the merger were high: Edeka should have saved only three percent of jobs at Kaiser’s Tengelmann through internal redeployment, employees should therefore be almost completely protected against compulsory redundancies and fall in the coming years under the collective agreement the trade union ver.di ,

“Gabriel’s credibility has been shaken”, however, finds the charge of competition policy green Bundestag Katharina Dröge: “It had to be absolutely Edeka – although the group originally a job-cancellation list had in the drawer. ” The Green politician adds: “It was noticed in the autumn of 2015 at a public hearing: The Minister wanted to Edeka as a buyer for Kaiser’s Tengelmann Why Was he a buddy a favor.?” Gabriel must now explain to the public: “The whole thing has much political dynamite.”