competitionlaw

The Italian Competition Authority or ICA opened an investigation over allegedly anti-competitive practices regarding the market for international freight-forwarding to/from Italy (case I722, Logistica Internazionale ). From 2002 through 2007 a number of forwarders are thought to have exchanged sensitive information, such as fuel prices and motorway toll, at the meetings of their trade association, Fedespedi, with a view to coordinate their pricing policy. Then Fedespedi would have sent out circulars to its members and issue presse release in order to help the partecipating undertakings implement the agreed pricing policy. Interestingly, the Logistica Internazionale case bears some similarities with the Listino Prezzi della Pasta case in which the ICA found a cartel between the pasta manufactures. The first similitude is the great number of undertakings involved (21 in Logistica Internazionale , 26 in Listino Prezzi della Pasta plus trade associations). Apparently, the second simili

At the end of October the Italian Competition Authority or ICA dealt with a number of issues regarding the rail transport sector. First, it released an opinion over Article 19 of the General Terms and Conditions for the Transport of Passengers adopted by Trenitalia, the Italian incumbent train operator (decision of 22 October 2009, AS 635 Condizioni e tariffe per i trasporti delle persone sulle Ferrovie dello Stato ). This provision rules that fares are fixed on the basis of distance run by trains, taken from the Trenitalia official handbook. Under no circumstances the shortening of distance following the construction of new lines or the upgrading of existing lines shall be taken into account in determining fares. Though rail fares are nominally distance-based it may happen that with regard to some routes (for example the new high speed line Rome-Naples) the fares charged to passengers do not correspond to the effective distance, as the lines run by trains are new or upgraded.