The Italian Executive is worried by the sacrifices requested by Brussels to authorize the sale of 41% of the national carrier ITA Airways to the Germans of Lufthansa. The two airlines had recently declared that they were not willing to make further divestments on long-haul routes between Europe and North America. Furthermore, it seems that the meeting between the Italian Minister of Economy Giancarlo Giorgetti and the Vice President of the European Commission, Margrethe Vestager, did not go as Rome expected.

"I don't understand why in Brussels, instead of seriously dealing with important things, they are concerned with damaging Italy. The rejection of the relaunch of ITA would be an absolutely hostile attitude towards Italy. The Europe I want to leave to my children is not this , that of the war on Italian companies", stated the Italian Minister of Infrastructure and Transport (MIT), Matteo Salvini, vice-president of the Council of Ministers.

"I wouldn't want anyone in Brussels -he added- to play for the worse, because thousands of workers are at risk of their jobs and they would have made us waste time for months for nothing. They tell us that we have to join forces with other European companies and then perhaps with Brussels or Paris decide that this is not good. Italian citizens can still pay millions of euros for a national airline". 

On the same topic, see also the article published by AVIONEWS.