Lisa Martin has written an excellent article for the The Guardian,November 22, 2018, reporting:
"French submarine boss summoned to Canberra for crisis talks: ‘Legitimate policy differences’ and ‘personality clashes’ said to be stalling negotiations with Naval Group, tasked with building Australia’s $50bn new fleet..."
“...Naval Group chief executive Hervé Guillou travelled from Paris to [Canberra, Australia] for two days of discussions which kicked off on [November 22. 2018].
The federal government is yet to finalise a strategic partnering agreement with Naval Group, which is designing Australia’s fleet of 12 new submarines. There are hopes to have the agreement sorted by Christmas...
“...If no headway is made soon, the talks could be escalated to ministerial level or up to prime minister Scott Morrison and French president Emmanuel Macron.”
“It’s understood the sticking points on negotiations include warranty issues,the level of Australian content, as well as a potential sale or merger between Naval Group and Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri.”
“...Meanwhile, the federal government’s shipbuilder ASC, which is in charge of keeping six Collins subs operating until the new fleet is ready, warns Naval Group is poaching key staff...”
SEE THE WHOLE GUARDIAN ARTICLE