France's Le Maire eyes naval deal similar to Siemens/Alstom

PARIS (Reuters) - French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire on Wednesday said he hoped Europe could create a leading naval company similar to the one formed by the railway operations tie-up between Alstom and , as he reiterated his support for the Alstom and Siemens transaction. Le Maire was referring to a France-Italian summit in Lyon later on Wednesday. France and Italy could reach a deal over the STX France shipyards at a meeting of the two countries' leaders on Wednesday, an official at French President Emmanuel Macron's office said on Monday. Le Maire added he would visit Alstom's emblematic Belfort site to reassure workers over their jobs following the Siemens deal, and that the new Siemens/Alstom entity would create a European leader able to take on Chinese and world rivals. (Reporting by Sudip Kar Gupta; Editing by Ingrid Melander)