- France: The privately-owned Spanish group, ENDESA, has taken over control of SNET - SOCIETE NATIONALE D'ELECTRICITE ET DE THERMIQUE (1,373 workers for 2.5% of French electricity production), a subsidiary of CHARBONNAGES DE FRANCE. ENDESA has increased its stake to 65% of SNET capital (it already held 30%). In total, it will have paid out EUR 571 million for this controlling stake. The remaining 35% are soon to be taken over by GAZ DE FRANCE. - Slovakia: The Italian company ENEL is poised to acquire the electricity producer, SLOVENSKE ELEKTRARNE. It made the highest bid, EUR 840 million, to acquire the 66% put up for sale by the government. Furthermore, in 2005, ENEL is to reduce to 5% its share in its electricity network subsidiary TERNA, of which 50% of the shares were placed on the market in June. It also intends to sell WIND, its telecommunications branch, within the next two years.