The Italian competition authority (AGCM) disapproves of regional restrictive rules for Sunday trading
The Italian competition authority (AGCM) disapproves of regional restrictive rules for Sunday trading Some time ago retailers raised before EC courts the issue whether national laws prohibiting or restricting Sunday trading violated the principles of the EC single market. More recently, the issue of Sunday trading was the subject of an opinion issued by the Italian competition authority (AGCM, AS480, Osservazioni in materia di apertura degli esercizi commerciali in Italia, Bollettino n. 39 of 12 November 2008, www.agcm.it ). The opinion is about the compatibility of a number of rules adopted by regional and local authorities to set the opening times of shops with the Act n. 114/1998. The Act n. 114/1998 reshuffled the regulatory framework for retailing in Italy and, more importantly, liberalized the opening times of businesses that meet the conditions set out in Article 12 or in Article 13. Article 12 regards shops located in municipalities with a predominantly tourism-based economy, i