Italy minister warns of crisis if coalition doesn't settle Atlantia dispute

A government crisis would be "inevitable" if the ruling coalition does not reach an agreement on how to settle the dispute with infrastructure group Atlantia over its motorway concession, Italy's deputy transport minister said on Thursday.

"We would have a big problem. The risk of a crisis would be inevitable if a solution is not found over the next week, Giancarlo Cancelleri told daily la Repubblica in an interview, when asked what would happen if an agreement within the government would not be reached.

Rome has been threatening to strip Atlantia's unit Autostrade per l'Italia of its lucrative tollroad licence since the fatal collapse of a bridge in Genoa nearly two years ago.

Within the ruling coalition the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement - Cancelleri's party - has led calls for revoking the licence while its governing ally, the centre-left PD party, has urged caution fearing a multi-billion compensation claim against the state.