German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil plans to meet UniCredit CEO Andrea Orcel, a report said Wednesday, signaling for the first time that Berlin is willing to engage directly with the Italian bank over its bid to take over Commerzbank.
Klingbeil has invited Orcel to a meeting at the Finance Ministry in Berlin on Sept. 14, Reuters reported, citing government sources.
Orcel has accepted the invitation, a person with direct knowledge of the matter said.
Klingbeil will outline Berlin's position in talks with Orcel and emphasize Commerzbank's role in financing the German economy and its importance to Frankfurt as a financial center, according to the sources, who declined to be named because the plans were not public yet.
"This complements the talks between the two banks, which remain responsible for discussing the way forward directly," one of the people said.
