Region: Italy

Italy’s Competition Authority has launched an investigation into the country’s largest rail operator after its only rival in the high-speed passenger transport services market alleged the operator abused its dominance to push competition out of the market.

11 August 2022

An Italian administrative court has confirmed the national antitrust watchdog’s €102.1 million fine to Google for hindering an energy solutions provider’s ability to compete in the smart car market.

18 July 2022

The European Court of Justice has confirmed that member states do not have to let litigants challenge a judicial decision for purportedly ignoring the legal interpretation given by the EU court in a preliminary ruling.

07 July 2022

The Italian government has blocked a Chinese robot maker’s €2 million investment in a domestic robotics company under the country’s “golden power law” for sensitive industries.

09 June 2022

Italy’s Competition Authority has approved Bper Banca’s acquisition of struggling rival Banca Carige, subject to the latter divesting 48 of its brick-and-mortar branches to an already-identified rival.

06 June 2022

Italy’s Competition Authority has fined Leadiant Biosciences €3.5 million for abusing its dominance by overcharging the national health service for an orphan drug, less than a year after the Dutch antitrust enforcer penalised the drugmaker for the same conduct.

31 May 2022

The European Court of Justice has clarified that non-pricing conduct from dominant companies that as-efficient rivals cannot replicate will not constitute competition on the merits.

13 May 2022

Italy’s Competition Authority has launched a Phase II probe into a tie-up between several newspaper and magazine distribution companies, based in part on concerns that non-compete and no-poach agreements included as part of the transaction could harm competition.

21 April 2022

An Italian court has annulled the national antitrust authority’s €3.7 million penalty to Telecom Italia for operating a margin squeeze in the bulk text messaging market, seven months after overturning an even larger fine on Vodafone Italia for the same conduct.

13 April 2022

Italy’s Competition Authority has fined a ferry operator €3.7 million after finding the company charged excessive prices on a ferry transportation route between Sicily and the country’s southern region of Calabria.

12 April 2022