Ita-Lufthansa agreement blocked during the night. Rome: "Italy doesn’t sell out"

Stalemate during the night in the ongoing negotiations between ITA and Lufthansa, the two companies are called to deliver to the EU by Monday 11 November the paper with the responses to the comments made by the EU when in the summer it gave the green light to the agreement for the sale for 325 million of 41% of the Italian carrier (100% of the Mef after the rescue of the former Alitalia) to the German aviation giant.

Sources report that there would be a distance between the two parties of around 10 million euros on the final price, 829 million euros, given that the initial agreement would have envisaged a possible renegotiation of the cost of the second tranche of the operation, based on a series of variable parameters. However, it is reported that the Mef would have requested compliance with the price agreed between the parties at the time of the agreement signed in May 2023. At the moment, Ita is not commenting on the stalemate of the situation. The feeling, it is reported, is that the stalemate can be overcome, given that the dialogue between the parties is continuing.

To approve the wedding, the EU had asked for a series of measures that would guarantee competition in the two key Italian airports, Milan Linate and Rome Fiumicino, with the sale of a series of slots, which could benefit EasyJet and Air France.

EU, in contact with parties; no comment on the agreement

“The only thing I can say is that we are in contact with Lufthansa and the Ministry and the next step is to analyze the agreement that the parties want to deliver to us.” This was stated by the spokesperson of the European Commission for Competition, Lea Zuber, in the daily press briefing, answering a question on the news of a stalemate in the agreement.

“The deadlines agreed by the parties in the undertakings that they submitted to the commission at the time of the conditional authorization are confidential. So I can’t really say more about the deadlines as such,” he highlighted. “The whole mechanism works according to which the transaction cannot be finalized before the commission concludes that there is a suitable entity to remedy each of the critical issues found. So once we receive the agreements, once we analyze whether the person suitable to remedy is independent of the parties, if it has the necessary financial resources, the necessary skills and once we give our consent, only then can the transaction be concluded”, explained the spokeswoman.