- Italy: the Italian government has received five bids for the former State-owned tobacco company ETI - ENTI TABACCHI ITALIANI. These are from ALTADIS, BAT - BRITISH AMERICAN TOBACCO, associated with SWEDISH MATCH, JAPAN TOBACCO and two Italian groups on entrepreneurs IMPRENDITORI ASSOCIATI and AURELIA. The State should bank between 1.4 and 1.5 bn euro from this privatisation.