Italy sees options for Finmeccanica after EADS/BAE collapse

The collapse of the planned merger between EADS and BAE Systems will open up opportunities for Finmeccanica which should be seized quickly, Italian Defense Minister Giampaolo Di Paolo said on Thursday.

"The failure of the scenario of a merger between EADS and BAE has created various openings for Finmeccanica which have to be evaluated firstly by management and then by the government," he told reporters at the margins of a parliamentary hearing.

"I would like to see these evaluations carried out very rapidly," he said.

(Reporting by Roberto Landucci)