France ready to sell more stakes in energy firms-minister EDF.PA GSZ.PA - RTRS
(Reuters) - France is ready to sell more of its stakes in energy companies and its holdings only need to be big enough to have influence over corporate strategy, French Energy and Environment Minister Segolene Royal said on Sunday.
Royal said on French television that with Industry Minister Emmanuel Macron she had examined the state's energy sector assets to determine how big a stake the state needs to have.
Asked whether the government would be ready to drop its stakes in the two main energy firms, power utility EDF EDF.PA of which the state owns 84 percent and gas utility GDF Suez GSZ.PA of which it owns 33.6 percent, she said those stakes could fall.
"There is no reason whatsoever to keep these stakes at the same level, as long as we maintain the same influence over their strategy," Royal said.