Brussels, 13/01/2005 (Agence Europe) - On 19 January, the European Commission is expected to decide that an inquiry should be opened on the restructuring plan of the Italian airline, Alitalia. Confirming what has been in the air for some weeks now, Transport Commissioner Jacques Barrot announced on Wednesday his suggestion that the Commission should, during its meeting next Wednesday, open an inquiry to verify whether the plan in question is conform to Community legislation on State aid.
"I intend to call on the College of Commissioners next Wednesday to open an inquiry in order to obtain clarification on the issues that we are raising and in order to avoid legal uncertainty", Mr Barrot told the press after his meeting with Italian Transport Minister Pietro Lunardi. "I want it to be carried out in an exemplary fashion, with no delays, rapidly", Mr Barrot assured. Meagre consolation for Pietro Lunardi who hoped to be able to convince the Commissioner not to call for an inquiry and who left hoping that the inquiry, which could in theory last 18 months, would be "as brief as possible", that is just "a few months". According to the Italian minister, cited by Reuters, the Commission would like clarification on 23 points concerning the Alitalia restructuring plan, submitted in October 2004. But on Thursday, Barrot's spokesperson gave his assurance that such doubts only concern a "limited number of elements".
Two elements of the Alitalia restructuring plan (which mainly plans for recapitalisation and a division of the enterprise into two entities - AZ Fly which will take on the Alitalia flights and AZ Services which will handle airport services) - would really pose a problem. On one hand there is a lack of banking guarantee - and hence of the private sector - for recapitalisation of AZ Fly in the dossier handed to the Commission in October. The latter also hopes to clarify the role of the Italian public undertaking, Fintecna, which contemplates taking out a stake in the new company AZ Services, to be sure that it acts as a private investor.