The following factors could affect Italian markets on Friday.
Reuters has not verified the newspaper reports, and cannot vouch for their accuracy. New items are marked with (*).
For a complete list of diary events in Italy please click on .
POLITICS
Nine European countries, led by Italy and Denmark, called on Thursday for the European Union to make it simpler for member states to expel foreign criminals. The countries signed a letter which was presented to journalists at a Rome news conference held by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and her Danish counterpart Mette Frederiksen.
ECONOMY
Italy is confident the United States will agree to a trade deal with the European Union similar to the one Washington has already struck with Britain, Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti said on Thursday.
Italy's defence spending is slightly above NATO's target of 2% of gross domestic product target, Giorgetti said. He added that the European Union should work on ways to promote the defence industry through the involvement of private investors.
Italy fully supports European Union efforts to stop Russian gas imports into the bloc by 2027, the country's Energy minister told reporters on Thursday, adding any decisions by Rome to boost LNG imports from the U.S. were up to private buyers.
DEBT
Moody's and Scope rating agencies conduct scheduled reviews of Italy's sovereign debt rating.
Italy's Treasury announces sale of 6-month BOT bills, with relative amounts to be auctioned on May 28.
The Treasury said on Thursday it would sell up to 4.75 billion euros ($5.36 billion) in short-term and inflation-linked BTP bonds at May 27 auction.
COMPANIES
(*) UNICREDIT MIL:UCG, BANCO BPM MIL:BAMI
UniCredit said on Friday it would fight the terms imposed by Italy's government to clear its offer for rival lender Banco BPM, by filing an appeal to an administrative court. It added it would also support the European Commission's review of the "golden powers" used by Italy to impose conditions on the bid.
The CEO of Banco BPM, Giuseppe Castagna, said in an interview with Friday's Il Sole 24 Ore daily that his bank would also appeal to an administrative court against a decision by bourse regulator Consob to suspend UniCredit's takeover bid.
GENERALI MIL:G
Italy's top insurer Generali appointed on Thursday Deloitte Financial Advisory and law firm Advant Ntcm as advisers for the bid launched by merchant bank Mediobanca MIL:MB for the private bank Banca Generali MIL:BGN.
ENEL MIL:ENEL
Shareholders of Italy's biggest utility on Thursday approved a buyback plan worth up to 3.5 billion euros and the possibility to cancel acquired shares without reducing its capital, opening the way for the company to increase its investor reward.
BPER BANCA MIL:BPE, BANCA POPOLARE DI SONDRIO MIL:BPSO
Bper Banca said on Thursday the European Central Bank had approved the Italian lender's share capital increase to service its bid for local peer Banca Popolare di Sondrio.
AZIMUT MIL:AZM
The Italian asset manager said on Thursday it had signed a binding agreement with domestic private equity fund FSI to create a fintech bank, spinning off a portion of its financial adviser network into the new entity.
TELECOM ITALIA (TIM) MIL:TIT
Board meeting on call for shareholders' meeting with proposals on changes to articles of association, corporate purpose.
MFE-MEDIAFOREUROPE MIL:MFEA
The executive and supervisory boards of ProSiebenSat.1 XETR:PSM have recommended not to accept a takeover offer from MFE-MediaForEurope, the TV broadcaster controlled by Italy's Berlusconi family, the German company said on Thursday.
(*) MFE is preparing to raise its offer for ProsiebenSat.1 to more than the 7 euros per share offered by Czech investment firm PPF, Il Messaggero daily reported on Friday.
(*) BANCA PROFILO MIL:PRO
Negotiations between the bank's main shareholder, Matteo Arpe's Sator fund, and Banca Sella for the sale of Profilo's private banking branch are cooling down, MF daily reported on Friday, saying the stalemate is due to an inspection on governance launched by the Bank of Italy early this month.
DIARY
Rome, 5th round of nuclear talks between Iran and the U.S.
Arezzo, event "A fair and achievable ecological transition" (0745 GMT); expected attendees include Environment and Energy Security Minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin, Leonardo MIL:LDO CEO Roberto Cingolani.
Florence, ECB board member Philip Lane gives speech on "Inflation and Disinflation in the Euro Area" at EMU Lab-European University Institute Florence (0830 GMT).
Trento, 20th edition of the 'Economy Festival' "Risks and fatal choices. Europe at the crossroads" continues; ends on May 25. On Friday expected attendees include income agency 'Agenzia delle Entrate' Director Vincenzo Carbone, market regulator CONSOB President Paolo Savona, state lender Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP) unit SIMEST CEO Regina Corradini D'Arienzo, Industry Minister Adolfo Urso, European Affairs and National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) Minister Tommaso Foti, Fincantieri MIL:FCT CEO Roberto Folgiero, Intesa Sanpaolo MIL:ISP Chairman Gian Maria Gros-Pietro, Justice Minister Carlo Nordio, Labour Minister Marina Calderone, Economy Undersecretary Federico Freni, Enel MIL:ENEL Chairman Paolo Scaroni, Public Administration Minister Paolo Zangrillo, welfare institute INPS President Gabriele Fava.
((Milan newsroom, e-mail: ))
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