The leaders of Germany and France will meet this week in an effort to resolve the latest eruption of tensions at EADS, the parent company of Airbus, which wants to shed thousands of jobs in Europe. Airbus is seeking to restore its financial health and better compete with a resurgent Boeing, but so far it has failed to persuade its political masters to go along. The Airbus chief executive, Louis Gallois, issued a plea for board members of EADS, whose formal name is European Aeronautic Defense and Space, to ?quickly find a solution that overcomes national issues.?
See "German and French Leaders to Meet on Job Cuts at Airbus", Nicola Clark, The New York Times, February 20, 2007