Italian PM slams EU for stalling ITA-Lufthansa deal

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has slammed the European Commission at a press conference within the framework of the G20 summit in New Delhi due to their obstructing attitude towards the merger between German Lufthansa and Italian ITA Airways.

As reported by Corriere della Serra, the German aviation giant is to acquire a 41% stake in ITA Airways for an investment of €325 million, but the European Commission has stalled providing its approval of the merger, which PM Meloni harshly criticized while being in New Delhi.

She said that it was "weird" that the EU Commission was blocking the deal, recalling, that "the same European Commission that for years has been asking us to find a solution to the ITA problem, when we find a solution to the ITA problem, it blocks it. So, we are no longer understanding and would like an answer".

According to the EU executive responsible for this transaction, Economy Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni, he had not received any notification of the deal and recalled, that it is up to the parties involved in the deal to notify of the transaction.