ROME (dpa-AFX) - In the struggle for Lufthansa to acquire a stake in the state-owned Italian airline Ita, the parties involved have offered further concessions to the EU Commission. This was announced by the Italian Ministry of Finance in Rome on Tuesday. Brussels had been offered "additions" in line with the Commission's demands within the deadline, it said. The ministry did not provide any details. Lufthansa also did not provide any details.

In a first step, Lufthansa wants to take over 41 percent of the state-owned airline Ita Airways, formerly Alitalia. In return, Ita is to receive 325 million euros in equity from Lufthansa cash. Later, the German airline will be able to acquire a further 49 percent and then the remaining 10 percent under certain conditions.

However, the EU Commission, as the responsible approval authority, has not yet approved the project due to competition law concerns. It fears that customers could suffer from rising prices or poorer quality after the takeover. It is expected that a decision could be made next month. Lufthansa had previously made concessions in the antitrust proceedings without giving details./cs/DP/zb