Leonardo chief executive Lorenzo Mariani has warned that "major" antitrust demands from Brussels could "destroy" a planned pan-European space merger designed to compete with rivals like Elon Musk’s Space X. The deal, struck between Europe's Airbus, Italy's Leonardo, and France's Thales, aims to combine satellite manufacturing and space systems operations.

Mariani stated that while "very minor structural measures" might be acceptable, any significant concessions would render the project unviable. He found it "absurd" for Brussels to request consolidation to challenge global competitors while simultaneously imposing substantial antitrust remedies. The three companies hope to submit the plan, codenamed Bromo, to antitrust authorities in Brussels in the autumn, with the aim of making the new entity operational in 2027.

Competitors such as Germany's OHB and Spain's Indra Space have voiced concerns about reduced competition. This merger is considered a key test case for the European Commission's new merger guidelines, which emphasize the benefits of scale in global markets and Europe's increasing focus on space sovereignty.