EADS CEO Philippe Camus awarded Cross of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
EADS CEO Philippe Camus has received the Cross of Merit, First Class. The honor, which was conferred by German President Johannes Rau, was presented to Camus by the German ambassador, Fritjof von Nordenskjöld, in Paris on Monday evening.
Camus offered his thanks for the award with the words: «Beyond what this decoration means to me, it celebrates the Franco-German understanding that allowed EADS to be born. Four years down the road we can say that its creation is both a political success and an industrial and business success, but it is also a formidable success for Europe and the rest of the world. It is this shared venture which, in my opinion, deserves our attention tonight ». Numerous high-ranking representatives from politics and industry attended the ceremony in Palais Beauharnais.
EADS is a global leader in aerospace, defense and related services. In 2003 EADS, generated revenues of € 30.1 billion and employed a workforce of about 109,000. The EADS Group includes the aircraft manufacturer Airbus, the world's largest helicopter supplier Eurocopter and the joint venture MBDA, the second largest missile producer in the global market. EADS is the major partner in the Eurofighter consortium, is the prime contractor for the Ariane launcher, develops the A400M military transport aircraft and is the largest industrial partner for the European satellite navigation system Galileo.
