BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT (dpa-AFX) - Lufthansa has made further concessions to the EU Commission in the wrangling over the planned takeover of the Italian airline Ita. "We can confirm that the parties have made commitments to remove the preliminary competition concerns," a Commission spokeswoman said on Monday. These would be carefully examined. A Lufthansa spokesperson spoke of a "comprehensive, constructive solution" to address the authority's competition concerns about the routes in question and the situation at Milan-Linate airport.

The concept is also compatible with the economic reality on the highly competitive Italian market. Neither Lufthansa nor the EU Commission commented on further details. The airline remains confident that its investment in Ita will be approved and that the successor to the former state-owned company Alitalia can become part of the Group this year.

Three weeks ago, it became known that the EU competition authorities still had reservations about the takeover. The Commission stated at the time that it was currently of the opinion that the planned transaction could restrict competition on certain routes in and out of Italy. The authority feared that customers could suffer from rising prices or poorer quality after the takeover.

Lufthansa had already made concessions in the EU antitrust proceedings, but did not provide any details. The company had announced that it would present a concept for further concessions to counter concerns.

After months of negotiations, the Group reached an agreement with the Italian state at the end of May to acquire a 41 percent stake in Ita Airways. In return, Ita is to receive 325 million euros in equity from Lufthansa cash. According to the agreement, Lufthansa can also acquire a further 49 percent of the shares from 2025 on certain conditions and later also the remaining 10 percent./mjm/stw/DP/stw