Op-ed views and opinions expressed are solely those of the author.
The French are famous for protecting anything French. Sometimes they even go to great lengths to promote what they see as their unique culture.
For example, in the 1980s, an American-based healthcare company that produced blood tests had those tests blocked by the French government to protect a French competitor. The delay had some real-world consequences for French citizens who were then infected with blood containing the virus that causes AIDS. The New York Times reported on February 13, 1994, “Although two French medical officials have been jailed for knowingly distributing contaminated blood stocks in 1985, the new evidence is likely to fuel demands that top politicians in the Socialist Government in power at the time be held responsible for delaying the screening of all blood supplies.” Because the French wanted a French product, the government distributed contaminated blood that resulted in hundreds of French deaths. This is the most shocking of examples.
Another, less shocking, example is seen in language, where The French Academy works to create new words for things that have perfectly good foreign names. “One such word is computer, or in French: ordinateur.” Why not simply Le Computer? That wouldn’t be French enough, apparently.
This background shines a light on a current matter. Clearly, if a French company is in trouble with French prosecutors, that would indicate there must be serious wrongdoing. After all, the prosecutors, being French, would seem inclined to go easy on a French company. Aerospace giant Airbus is very much in that category. “France is one of Airbus’ four founding countries, as well as home to the company’s headquarters facility – which is located in Toulouse,” the company’s website explains.
Yet French prosecutors are lowering the boom on Airbus.
“A Paris court on Wednesday approved an agreement under which Airbus will pay a 15.8-million-euro ($16.3 million) fine to end a corruption probe focusing on sales to Libya and Kazakhstan over a decade ago,” Associated Press reported last month.
Airbus had been engaging in bribery and selling planes, satellites, and helicopters to Libya and Kazakhstan for years before this latest settlement. Compare this with the last time Airbus was in legal trouble, all of two years ago. Then, the United States and Britain seemed to lead the legal charge.
“In late January 2020, Airbus agreed to pay nearly $4 billion and to take a number of remedial measures in order to resolve alleged corruption violations,” the law firm Holland & Knight wrote. “This represents the largest combined anti-corruption settlement to date, and the alleged corrupt conduct involves a number of airline and government customers.” The firm noted that Airbus lacked a “compliance culture.”
A U.S. Attorney involved in the case commented that, “Through bribes, Airbus allowed rampant corruption to invade the U.S. system. Additionally, Airbus falsely reported information about their conduct to the U.S. government for more than five years in order to gain valuable licenses to export U.S. military technology.” By this point, even the French have recognized that they can’t trust Airbus.
This is critical because servicemembers around the world rely on Airbus products. The company makes weapon systems for NATO nations and for the United States. At the same time, it is not only trying to cut deals with enemies like Libya; it is paying bribes to try to get access to those markets.
Airbus now, finally, says it has taken “significant steps since 2016 to reform itself by implementing a benchmark compliance system underpinned by an unwavering commitment to integrity and continuous improvement.” Great.
French prosecutors are ending their probe, but perhaps American lawmakers and military experts should pick it up. There is probably more to discover about these and other scandals. Meanwhile, the U.S. needs to stop buying weapons from Airbus. It isn’t a reliable partner. We can and must do better, as even the French seem to recognize.
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