Italy's government should express its view on the deal between A2A SpA (A2A.MI) and Electricite de France SA (EDF.FR) over the future of Edison SpA (EDN.MI), said a top official of the Italian municipal utility Wednesday.

The Edison issue is on "the Italian government's table," said Giuliano Zuccoli, chairman of A2A's management board, on a conference call to comment first-half results. A decision should take into consideration the country's interests, he said.

The possibility of the two companies agreeing to a put option allowing A2A to sell its Edison stake at a later date is complicated by issues such as the Italian company seeking a way out at a high price, added Zuccoli.

A2A and EdF have given themselves until Sept. 15 to decide Edison's future as A2A criticized their joint venture in Italy's second-largest electricity and natural gas company by volume.

In March, the two companies reached a preliminary agreement to allow EdF to take control of Edison, while A2A would take over some hydroelectric assets, among other things.

Italian Finance Minister Giulio Tremonti vetoed the deal on the government's concern that French companies were snapping up Italian ones.

-By Liam Moloney, Dow Jones Newswires; +39 06 6976 6924; liam.moloney@dowjones.com

A2A (BIT:A2A)
Historical Stock Chart
From Jan 2025 to Feb 2025 Click Here for more A2A Charts.
A2A (BIT:A2A)
Historical Stock Chart
From Feb 2024 to Feb 2025 Click Here for more A2A Charts.