French Finance Minister Thierry Breton is to meet Italian Economy Minister Giulio Tremonti today to discuss the takeover saga involving Gaz de France, Suez and Enel, an EU diplomat said.
The two ministers will be in Brussels to attend a meeting of euro zone finance ministers.
"They'll meet from 6:00 p.m. to 6:30, just before the meeting of the Eurogroup," the diplomat said.
France has angered Italy by engineering a merger of state-controlled Gaz de France with private utility Suez to create a "national champion" and prevent a potential foreign bid by Italy's Enel.
An Italian source close to the case said last week that Enel would make a counter-bid for Suez if the French group did not sell its Belgian energy unit Electrabel to the privatised Italian company. Suez ruled out selling Electrabel.