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Top executives from General Motors Corp. (GM) will meet later Friday with economic and industry ministers from European Union countries to share information and discuss possible solutions to avoid a meltdown of the car giant's European activities.

"The situation of General Motors in Europe merits special attention," the European Commission said Friday in a statement. GM's Chief Operating Officer Fritz Henderson, and GM Europe Chief Executive Carl Peter Forster will be at the Brussels meeting, which Industry and Enterprise Commissioner Guenter Verheugen will host.

Verheugen has complained that GM wasn't releasing complete information on its plans for the European businesses, and has decided to call Friday's meeting to share information. No decisions are expected to be taken at this stage.

Ministers from Germany, Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Luxembourg, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, the Netherlands and the U.K. will participate at the meeting, the commission said.

General Motors' European division includes Opel, Vauxhall and Saab. Any downsizing would mean thousands of job cuts. Opel and Vauxhall need a total of EUR3.3 billion in aid, while Saab needs EUR500 million from the Swedish government to survive, top company executives have said. Saab recently sought to reorganize under court protection in Sweden, a process similar to Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the U.S.

In the U.S., GM has received $13.4 billion in aid and is seeking up to $16.6 billion more. European carmakers are asking for a total of EUR40 billion in aid, to overcome the current slump in car sales and the increased difficulties to obtain financing. GM posted a total loss of $30.9 billion for 2008.

Opel and Saab might push for around 7,600 job cuts as part of a restructuring plan to receive state aid and stave off insolvency, a person familiar with the situation has told Dow Jones Newswires.

The German government is looking at different ideas being mooted and is already engaged in the search for investors in its role as a supportive player, Economics Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg has said. The government is active in searching for ways to help Opel but nothing can be decided before fundamental outstanding issues about Opel's future have been answered, he has said.

Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes and Employment Commissioner Vladimir Spidla will also be at the meeting.

-By Alessandro Torello, Dow Jones Newswires; +32 2 741 14 88; alessandro.torello@dowjones.com

(Andrea Thomas and Christoph Rauwald in Germany contributed to this report)