Gerald Darmanin, French Minister of Public Action and Accounts, attends a news conference on tax collection reform at Bercy Finance Ministry in Paris, France, February 4, 2019. REUTERS/Charles Platiau

PARIS (Reuters) - French budget minister Gerald Darmanin said he hoped the door had “not closed” on the possibility of a merger between Fiat Chrysler (FCA) and Renault and added France would be happy to re-examine any new proposal from Fiat.

“Talks could resume at some time in the future,” Darmanin told FranceInfo radio on Thursday.

Earlier on Thursday, Fiat Chrysler said it had abandoned its $35 billion merger offer for Renault, blaming French politics for scuttling what would have been a landmark deal to create the world’s third-biggest automaker.