Italy PM says would consider a settlement proposal from Atlantia
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Italy's Prime Minister Conte said on Thursday it would be the government's duty to consider any settlement proposal made by Atlantia before taking a decision over revoking the infrastructure group's motorway concession.
Atlantia, controlled by the prominent Benetton family, has been locked in a dispute with the government over its motorway concession since a bridge it operated in Genoa collapsed in August 2018, killing 43 people.
In a first sign of a willingness to negotiate with Atlantia, Conte said in Brussels that his government was "pursuing the revocation procedure and it is in the interests of (Atlantia's unit) Autostrade to potentially make a settlement proposal".
"The government would have the duty to consider such a proposal," Conte added, speaking ahead of a European Council meeting.
Two sources told Reuters last week that the Italian government had not yet responded to an offer made by Atlantia to cut its 88% stake in Autostrade to less than 50%, in an attempt to resolve the dispute and retain to its lucrative concession to operate 3,000 kilometres of Italian highways.
Italy's parliament on Wednesday gave a first green light to new norms that would make it easier and cheaper for the state to revoke motorway concessions, in a further step by the governing coalition to press on with its intention to strip Atlantia of its concession.
Shares in Atlantia pared losses after Conte's remarks, and were down 3.1% at 1450 GMT.
(Reporting by Giulia Segreti, editing by Gavin Jones and Barbara Lewis)
