* The minister expects investments of hundreds of millions of Euros in the Ghimbav platform
The Minister of the Economy, Adriean Videanu, yesterday announced, at the French Embassy, the framework agreement with the French helicopter maker Eurocopter. The agreement set the foundation for the aerospace park of Ghimbav. The minister of the Economy said that the primary investment in the park could amount to several tens of millions of Euros, and the total investment could go as high as several hundred millions.
Videanu said that the agreement certifies that three competence centers will be created in Ghimbav: one for the maintenance of Puma and Super Puma helicopters, a center for the assembly of Eurocopter helicopters and a center for the production of helicopter components and subsystems.
The agreement by which IAR Ghimbav will sell its main assets, including the assembly hangar, to Eurocopter Romania, was signed since May, and this week the shareholders agreed to the transfer, which will be done in the form of a contribution to the share capital by which the assets which include buildings, plots of land, machinery and equipment, will be gradually transferred to Eurocopter Romania.
According to the contract, Eurocopter Romania will take over 120 of the employees of IAR Ghimbav, once the aforementioned operations are transferred over, and it will eventually double the number of employees to 240.
Ovidiu VRÂNCEANU (Translated by Cosmin Ghidoveanu)
The French-German-Spanish group Eurocopter, a division of the EADS aeronautical group, operates in Romania by way of Eurocopter Romania which was incorporated in 2002 and which is a joint-venture between Eurocopter and Romanian helicopter maker IAR Ghimbav. Eurocopter Group holds 51% of the company, and IAR Ghimbav holds 48.9%. The IAR Ghimbav is controlled by the Ministry of the Econom
