FILE PHOTO: Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte gestures as he holds a news conference at the end of the European Union leaders summit dominated by Brexit, in Brussels, Belgium October 18, 2019. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw

ROME (Reuters) - Italy's Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said that merger plan between Peugeot owner PEUP.PA PSA and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles FCAU.NFCHA.MI must keep jobs and factories in Italy, Italian media reported on Thursday.

Fiat Chrysler and PSA said on Thursday they planned to join forces through a 50-50 share swap to create the world’s fourth-largest automaker, triggering a new wave of consolidation in the car industry.

Conte said he would talk to Fiat Chairman John Elkann shortly to get details about the plan.