By Alvise Armellini
ROME (Reuters) -The Italian government and Lufthansa have submitted new proposals to the European Commission to try to address EU regulatory concerns over the German airline’s purchase of a stake in Italy’s ITA Airways.
Lufthansa is looking to buy a 41% stake in state-owned ITA – the successor to Alitalia – but has so far failed to persuade the Commission, the EU’s antitrust regulator, to clear the bid.
Neither the Italian Treasury nor the German airline gave details about their latest proposal.
Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr said he remained optimistic about eventual regulatory approval.
“We continue to expect a positive decision from Brussels on the acquisition of ITA Airways in the summer”, he said at the airline’s annual general meeting.
Italy’s economy ministry said the new proposals were presented in accordance with the regulator’s requests, and within the timeframe required to meet the June 13 deadline for the Commission to give its verdict.
The Commission said separately it had delayed that deadline to July 4, after receiving the latest proposals.
According to Italian daily La Repubblica, Lufthansa has pledged to freeze any integration with ITA for two years on long-haul flights to the United States and Canada from Rome’s Fiumicino airport.
It has also promised to cede to competitors, including easyJet, some of its flights on Italy-Germany routes for three years, and to give up more slots at Milan’s Linate airport, the newspaper said.
Lufthansa declined to comment on the report.
Rome and Lufthansa have previously submitted two remedy packages, which the Commission rejected. Italian Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti announced a third offer two weeks ago, after meeting EU antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager.
(Additional reporting by Ilona Wissenbach and Foo Yun Chee; Editing by Louise Heavens and Mark Potter)
