Brussels, 29/07/2013 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission is asking the Italian government to tighten up the restructuring programme for Italian bank Monte dei Paschi di Siena (MPS) in return for a public bailout of €3.9 billion, saying that, if urgent changes were not made in terms of cutting costs and the expected returns, perks offered to a number of lenders, fat-cat salaries for bank managers, abandoning over the counter trading, reducing exposure to sovereign risk and altering the bank's debt buy-up policy, then the European Commission may decide to hold an in-depth investigation that could lead to fines or the repayment of the state aid, reports the Financial Times on 28 July, referring to a letter sent on 16 July by EU Competition Commissioner Joaquín Almunia to Italy's Finance Minister Fabrizio Saccomanni. The latter said that the restructuring plan had not been rejected and talks were continuing. (FG/transl.fl)