By Benjamin Mallet

PARIS (Reuters) - Public works group Eiffage (FOUG.PA: Quote, Profile, Research) sees expansion outside France as a top priority after shareholder Sacyr Vallehermoso (SVO.MC: Quote, Profile, Research) ended its troubled relationship with Eiffage, its chief executive said on Friday.

"We are likely to take an important position in an eastern European country in coming days," Jean-Francois Roverato told reporters, without elaborating.

Expansion has become easier for Eiffage after Spanish builder Sacyr said on Thursday it had sold its 33 percent stake.

Sacyr, which sold the shares for 1.9 billion euros ($3.01 billion) or 62 euros a unit to French institutional investors, failed to gain control of Eiffage, which has derided the Spanish as "orange growers and golf players from Murcia."

Roverato, who confirmed forecasts for 2008, said Eiffage was also looking at specialised engineering firm Cegelec "with lots of interest."

Cegelec, owned by French private equity group LBO France and which has more than 3 billion euros in annual sales, is also being eyed by privately owned electrical engineering group Spie and French construction rival Vinci (SGEF.PA: Quote, Profile, Research).

Eiffage's new shareholders were a sign of confidence in the company's future, Landsbanki Kepler analyst Josep Pujal said in a note, adding that Eiffage had almost 1 billion euros of net cash available, possibly to buy back shares.

Eiffage shares were up 2 percent at 59.90 euros by 1215 GMT, outperforming a 1.3 percent rise in the DJ Stoxx European construction and materials index .