The European Commission's saying no
to European mergers is very rare, Competition Commissioner
Margrethe Vestager said Tuesday raising hopes the EU executive
will clear the way for ITA to team up with Lufthansa before a
July 4 deadline.
Vestager said she could recall only 10 cases of mergers not
being greenlit during her long stint on the EC.
But she said there will still "issues" linked to the proposed
merger, and "no decision has been taken yet".
Vesatger said last Thursday that the operation poses
competition risks.
"There is a risk that prices will go up and passenger numbers
fall. It's up to the companies to illustrate how to prevent that
happening. And that's the process in which we find ourselves
now. No decision has been taken."
Progress in talks aimed at securing an EU nod for the merger
between the two flag carriers is "little" and "slow", various EU
sources told ANSA after the airlines made fresh commitments to
try to meet antitrust demands last Wednesday.
The further concessions from the German airline and the
Italian economy ministry on slots at Milan Linate do not appear
to be sufficient, they said, and the EU reportedly wants a more
solid solution for long-range routes from Rome Fiumicino to the
USA and Canada, the sources said.
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