"France is positioning itself to act as a catalyst in a sweeping consolidation of Europe's naval shipbuilding industry. Few in the shipbuilding industry doubt that mergers and alliances are necessary in a sector that has 11 prime contractors and 23 shipyards vying with one another to build Europe's warships. Nor does anyone argue that deep-rooted national rivalries will trump hard economic realities to halt the march to concentration. However, many questions remain about when and how the restructuring will come about and what the industry will resemble once the process runs its course."