Italy Won't Sell Any More Eni or Enel Stakes, Economy Minister Says

The Italian government should not sell any additional stakes in Eni or Enel, Italian Economy Minister Vittorio Grilli has told the parliament today.

Despite the government's need to sell off portions of state assets in light of the country's debts, Minister Grilli said that selling off any additional stakes in the two partially-owned energy entities would be unwise.

"Important cash flows [from the dividends] and the strategic importance maybe don't advise the sale of our stakes in Eni and Enel," the Dow Jones news agency reports the Minister as saying today.

The statement comes despite reports last month, which said that Italian state-run Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP) was considering selling its 3.4 per cent stake in oil and gas company Eni at a cost of €2 billion.

The Italian government is curently a large stakeholder in both Eni and utility company Enel, with a little over a 30 per cent stake in each.