UMEA, Sweden (Reuters) -- A decision on whether the Swedish government will give loan guarantees to General Motors' Saab unit is still a couple of months away, the country's enterprise minister said today.

The Swedish government said last week it had asked the European Commission to assess whether proposed loan guarantees to Saab would break rules on state support.

Sweden Enterprise Minister Maud Olofsson said it would take some time for the Commission to reach a decision.

"A couple of months, I think they have said," Olofsson told Reuters on the sidelines of an informal meeting of European ministers in Umea, northern Sweden.

Olofsson said Sweden could not make its decision until after the Commission had given its verdict.

"You cannot say when this will be done and the company knows this. I cannot affect the EIB nor the Commission on this," she said.

Koenigsegg doubts

Koenigsegg Group AB, a consortium of U.S. and Norwegian private investors that includes supercar maker Koenigsegg Automotive AB, struck a deal this year to buy General Motors Co.'s money-losing Saab business. But Koenigsegg's ability to finance the purchase and fund future Saab production has remained in question.

"We have said in what order we need to proceed. There is a need for private capital, the loan from the EIB, an approval from the European Commission and then a possible guarantee from us," Olofsson said.

A loan of 400 million euros ($596 million) from the European Investment Bank, to be guaranteed by the Sweden state, has been a key element of financing plans.

In September, state-controlled Chinese automaker Beijing Automotive Industry Holdings announced it would take a minority stake in Koenigsegg, easing some of the funding concerns surrounding the firm's planned purchase of Saab.