A peeved Berlusconi threatens to nationalise Alitalia

Alitalia's revival story took another jerky step ahead with Italian prime minister-elect, Silvio Berlusconi, threatening to nationalise the near-bankrupt flag carrier if the European Commission continued to question the €300 million ($469.1 million) bridge loan sanctioned by the outgoing government..

"If they continue whining, we could take a decision in which Alitalia could be bought by the state, by the state railways," Berlusconi was quoted as saying. "It's a threat, not a decision."

This drew a terse response from the EC, where a spokesperson noted that the organisation was neutral about a company being privately or publicly owned. Regulations on state aid, it was pointed out, came into play once nationalisation or privatisation involved a transfer of state funds to the company "over and above what is a reasonable purchase price at market value."

Meanwhile, reports in the Italian media suggest that Alitalia's nine unions will soon meet representatives of an unidentified group of investors willing to pick up the government's stake.