The annual report on the activities carried out in 2021 by the AGCM (Italian Competition Authority) was presented to the Chamber of Deputies.
During his intervention on July 18, 2022, the President of the Antitrust Authority Roberto Rustichelli presented the figures relating to the last year of activity for the protection of competition, taking the opportunity to convey several messages to the political establishment: from the necessity of avoiding extensions to the liberalization of the energy market to a vision of public policy more oriented towards actual competitive dynamics, to the strategic need to approve the Competition Bill, currently stalled in the Chamber’s Committee on Productive Activities following its initial approval by the Senate.
From January 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022, the Antitrust Authority imposed sanctions for the protection of competition exceeding 1.4 billion euros (including the fine imposed on Amazon exceeding 1.2 billion euros), while in the field of consumer protection the total sanctions imposed amounted to 100 million euros.
Furthermore, based on an estimate conducted according to the methodology suggested by the OECD, it emerges that the AGCM’s interventions in competition matters during the period 2015-2020 generated benefits in favor of enterprises and consumers exceeding 5 billion euros.
During the period January 2021-June 2022, in matters of concentrations the Authority examined 123 transactions, initiating investigations in 8 potentially problematic cases. The Authority subsequently concluded 13 investigations in matters of cartels and 11 in matters of abuse of dominance, resolving 11 proceedings with findings of infringement and 10 with acceptance of commitments.
On the occasion of the presentation of the report, the President of the Antitrust Authority took the opportunity to reiterate that the advantages of liberalization for end consumers, including in terms of lower prices and consequent savings, can only fully materialize in a context of effective competition among operators: only if consumers become a conscious and active part in choosing the most convenient offers in the market can genuine competitive dynamics be triggered.