Culture Minister Dario
Franceschini told ANSA Monday that a plan by Arnoldo Mondadori
publishing group to purchase rivals RCS Libri for 127.5 million
euros is "risky for the delicate book market".
Mondadori is chaired by Marina Berlusconi, ex-premier Silvio
Berlusconi's oldest daughter and the chairwoman of the Fininvest
family holding company.
The government "cannot and must not intervene" and it will
be up to the anti-trust authority to assess the deal,
Franceschini said.
The minister had voiced "concern" over the deal earlier
this year.
"It's too risky for one firm to control half the market,"
he tweeted on February 19.
"There is no sector more delicate and sensitive for freedom
of thought and creativity than the book market," he told
reporters that day.
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