05/01/2007 (Agence Europe) - On Friday, EU Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes met Italy's infrastructure minister Antonio di Pietro to discuss the fact that the Italian authorities have not reached a decision on the transfer of the Autostrade motorway concession as a result of the Abertis-Autostrade merger, which was authorised by the Commission on 22 September 2006 (see EUROPE 9272). Di Pietro briefed the Commissioner in detail on Italy's authorisation procedure for motorway concessions. Commissioner Kroes regrets that the Italian authorities only made fully clear in a submission delivered late Thursday evening, in response to questions posed by the Commission in November 2006, the public-interest criteria which the national authorisation procedure for the transfer was intended to pursue, and the concerns raised in that context. It is her understanding that these criteria and concerns will now be made public by the Italian authorities. As a result, the Commission is finally in a position to examine the way in which the national authorisation process was conducted, and the circumstances which led the merging parties not to implement the merger as cleared by the Commission, at least for the time being. (cd)