Brussels - The European Union's executive body is to host on Friday high-level talks between representatives of General Motors (GM) and politicians from EU states where GM has subsidiaries, in a bid to defuse the growing crisis over GM's financial troubles.

GM's chief operating officer, Fritz Henderson, and the head of its European division, Carl Peter Forster, are to hold talks with the EU's industry, competition and employment commissioners, officials in Brussels confirmed.

They are set to be joined by top politicians from 11 EU member states which are home to GM factories or subsidiaries: Austria, Belgium, Britain, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania and Sweden.

GM has been hard hit by the global downturn in car sales. Last week, auditors warned that there were "substantial doubts" whether the iconic US manufacturer could survive the storm.

The firm has said that it could cut up to 47,000 jobs worldwide. That has raised serious concerns in Europe, where GM owns the brands Opel, Vauxhall and Saab - all of whose futures are now in doubt.

Friday's meeting is meant to "allow a direct and coordinated exchange of views with GM and to confirm that (EU) states will not take national measures without prior information and coordination with other involved countries," a press release issued by the European Commission in Brussels said. (dpa)