Transport Minister Matteo Salvini speaks of "yet another Euromadness from Brussels" on the Ita-Lufthansa affair.
To a question about the requests of the European Commission posed to him on the sidelines of the inauguration of the new junction on the A4 near Bergamo, Salvini replied that "the government, after lost years, wants to secure thousands of workers, the right to fly for Italians, the arrival of tourists in Italy and Brussels objects".
"In my opinion - he underlines - because there are economic interests behind it".
The EU warning to Ita-Lufthansa, 'risks on routes and slots'
The letter had been in the drawers of Margrethe Vestager's team since the end of February.
The findings are those already highlighted on several occasions.
But the time for Europe's fateful 'yes' to the marriage between Ita and Lufthansa, with the profitable summer season now upon us, is increasingly running out.
Two months after the start of phase two of the EU antitrust investigation, the formal warning has been delivered: without a solid compromise on short and long-haul routes, slots and the Milan-Linate hub, the operation risks foundering.
And, despite the goodwill and optimism expressed by both Rome and Frankfurt, tension continues to increase.
So much so that Vestager did not fail to return to the sender the criticisms made by minister Giancarlo Giorgetti on the EU obstacles posed to the creation of a European champion: in the last ten years "numerous large companies have been born" within the continental borders "through mergers" because "very often it is possible to approve them while preserving competition", it was the Danish reply which underlined that for Ita and Lufthansa the story is different.
In reeling off the findings on slots, routes and airports, Brussels formalized its fears in writing to the Treasury and the German ski giant.
The acquisition of 41% of the new company, which arose from the ashes of Alitalia, could lead to "an increase in prices for customers and a decrease in the quality of services".
In detail, the operation according to the EU antitrust involves "real risks" for competition on various short-haul routes that connect Italy with the countries of central Europe - especially Germany, Switzerland, Belgium and Austria -, and on some intercontinental connections between Italy and the United States, Canada and Japan.
As well as creating or strengthening Ita's dominant position on Milan-Linate.
A "completely normal" letter, in Vestager's view, aimed at urging the parties to resolve "the problems" by offering their answers by April 26th.
Problems that the Mef for its part says it is determined to address by continuing to "work on the dossier in order to present the remedies as quickly as possible to reach a positive solution".
A line fully shared also by Lufthansa, already committed to studying the objections and ready "to propose constructive solutions, compatible with an aviation economic reality as competitive as the Italian one".
The climate in the headquarters of the German company remains positive, in the belief expressed in recent days also by CEO Carsten Spohr that "competition in Europe, especially in Italy, can be strengthened by an Ita Airways part of the Lufthansa group".
The negotiations, according to what transpires in Frankfurt and Brussels, will now be tight in the hope of respecting the final deadline of the investigation set for 6 June - barring further extensions - at the start of the three days of voting for the European elections.
The Treasury and Lufthansa will be able to respond to the objections, consult the file and also request an oral hearing.
The EU executive - also under pressure from fierce rivals Air France and Ryanair - points out that "the routes that give rise to potential concerns represent a small part of the total" of those served by the two companies and their joint partners - for Lufthansa venture.
An observation almost as if to respond to the criticisms of excessive inflexibility that have rained down on her in recent weeks.
And to demonstrate that, with an effort on the part of both parties, the necessary compromise can be reached.
An "important solution to find" in order not to upset the balance in the European skies and which, according to Vestager, has been found in many other cases - such as the merger between EssilorLuxottica and GrandVision or the birth of Stellantis.
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