MILAN (Reuters) – Italy has no plans to nationalize any company but will use special powers to protect strategic assets that could become a prey as a result of the coronavirus emergency, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte told Il Fatto Quotidiano in an interview.
The move reflects concerns in the ruling coalition government that investors’ appetites for strategic assets could be whetted by collapsing share prices due to market turbulence triggered by the coronavirus epidemic.
The so-called golden powers give Rome the right to veto stake building in strategic industries and Conte said such instruments should also “be strengthened at the European level for operations between countries”.
Conte added that he would like a planned second emergency decree that will include additional measures to mitigate the impact of the health crisis on Italy’s economy to be passed before the Easter holiday in mid-April.
(Reporting by Agnieszka Flak, editing by Gianluca Semeraro)
