BERLIN (Reuters) - French Economy Minister Emmanuel Macron played down inspections by fraud investigators at three sites of carmaker Renault (>> Renault) on Thursday, describing them as "normal" checks and adding that there was no special stigma attached to Renault.

Speaking to reporters during a visit to Berlin, Macron said the inspections were separate from those conducted on French carmakers after the Volkswagen (>> Volkswagen AG) diesel emissions scandal broke last year.

(Reporting by Gernot Heller; Writing by Noah Barkin; Editing by Michelle Martin)

Stocks treated in this article : Renault, Volkswagen AG