Beleaguered German car maker Opel on Thursday announced that it was to close a factory in Europe for the first time, in the Belgian city of Antwerp, union officials said, DPA reported.
The factory is expected to close at the end of June, Dutch-language broadcaster VRT reported. It employs some 2,500 workers.
Opel is part of the crisis-hit General Motors group. The US-based firm had originally planned to sell its German subsidiary to a consortium led by Canada's Magna, but scrapped the deal in November, saying that it would keep the company itself.
That left Opel facing major restructuring in Europe and sparked a vicious tussle between the European Union states which are home to Opel factories, as each fought to safeguard production on its own territory.
GM said its November decision was based on a better outlook for the company as the world economy recovers from recession.