FILE PHOTO: Germany's Economy and Energy Minister Peter Altmaier presents annual economic report and coal exit law in Berlin, Germany January 29, 2020. REUTERS/Annegret Hilse

BERLIN (Reuters) - German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier said on Friday that he did not currently see any need to take stakes in key companies due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Asked if he saw a need for the government to temporarily take stakes in strategic companies like Deutsche Telekom DTEGn.DE or Siemens SIEGn.DE, he told a news conference: "I do not see such a need at the moment."

Der Spiegel magazine on Friday reported Altmaier as saying that nationalisation could be one option for supporting strategically important companies brought into difficulties by the coronavirus epidemic, which is causing demand to collapse and severing global supply chains.