L'incontro tra Giorgetti e Gentiloni al G20 dopo le critiche del governo: una richiesta di aiuto tra italiani.

Ita Airways and Lufthansa Agreement: Italy Seeks Help from EU Commissioner

Italy’s Minister of Economy, Giancarlo Giorgetti, has taken a step back from political attacks but a step forward in Europe to unlock the dossier on the agreement between Ita Airways and Lufthansa. In recent days, European Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni has faced strong criticism from top government officials. First, Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini accused him of not wearing the national team jersey at EU meetings. Then, Prime Minister Meloni suggested that Gentiloni does not have the best interests of Italy at heart. At the G20 in India, while Gentiloni only exchanged a quick handshake with Meloni, he sat down at the table with Giorgetti for about twenty minutes. Giorgetti avoided commenting on his colleagues’ political attacks and stated that he didn’t want to judge. According to Corriere della Sera, the Minister of Economy made a specific request regarding the merger between the Italian and German airlines.

The dossier on the merger has been gathering dust on the desks of the Competition offices of the European Commission. Danish Commissioner Margrethe Vestager has temporarily stepped down to run for the presidency of the European Investment Bank (Bei), and Gentiloni does not have direct competence over the file. However, Giorgetti still asked for his help “as an Italian, not for me, but for the country.” The head of Via XX Settembre (the economic ministry) highlighted his concerns, saying, “We need to understand why the Ita dossier is inexplicably stuck at the Commission. This delay is unacceptable.” He reminded the former Italian Prime Minister, “You pressured us, and we closed the deal, but Lufthansa and Ita cannot proceed because Vestager is stuck.”

Succession at the Bei

But it’s not just about Ita. Giorgetti has also asked the Italian Commissioner to support Daniele Franco’s candidacy for the presidency. Alongside Franco, the candidates for the succession of German Werner Hoyer from January 1, 2024, are Spain’s Minister of Economy, Nadia Calvino, and two current Vice Presidents of the Bank, Teresa Czerwinska from Poland and Thomas Ostros from Sweden. This is in addition to the European Commissioner for Competition, who has been on leave for about ten days. During his meetings at the G20, Giorgetti also met with German Finance Minister Christian Lindner, to whom he requested support for the Italian candidate, “a skilled technician free from political influences.”