Mondadori publishing group President Marina Berlusconi said Thursday after Wednesday's anti-trust green light to the acquisition of publisher RCS Libri that "today is a beautiful and important day for Mondadori". But she said that the imposed sale of Bompiani as well as Mondadori's stake in Marsilio, two other publishers, amounted to "heavy sacrifices".
Berlusconi called the antitrust ruling "decidedly debatable and far from farsighted, (based on) national and European norms that are rigid and superseded".
Italy's anti-trust authority on Wednesday gave a conditional green light for the Arnoldo Mondadori publishing group - part of Silvio Berlusconi's media empire - to take over rivals RCS Libri, pending a spinoff of its subsidiaries Bompiani and Marsilio to approved buyers.
The 127.5-million-euro deal would give the group owned by former premier and media mogul Berlusconi around 40% of the book market.
Authorities also issued 10 "corrective measures aimed at stimulating competition in publishing and book distribution".
Mondadori CEO Ernesto Mauri has said the group is ready to shed its subsidiaries and that the deal to buy RCS Libri aimed to "give Mondadori an international outlet".
However, Mauri denied rumours that Mondadori plans to sell out to foreign buyers once the RCS Libri deal has gone through.
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