The Italian Competition Authority opens an Article 102 TFEU investigation on the high speed rail market (FS v NTV)
Currently, two train operators, Trenitalia belonging to the previous rail monopolist, the Ferrovie dello Stato (FS) group, and from April 2012, NTV compete on the Italian trucks to run high speed trains. By several complaints filed with the Italian Competition Authority (ICA), NTV reported that FS would put in place a complex exclusionary strategy aimed at hampering the NTV activities. Thus, by a decision made on 22 May 2013, the ICA started an investigation against FS on whether it had abused its dominant position by foreclosing the market for high speed rail passenger services. More precisely, the conducts reported by NTV affected the market for access to the national rail network, the market for the management of advertising spaces inside the main Italian stations and the market for high-speed passenger rail transport services. The anticompetitive conducts that FS has been alleged to have carried out have been divided by the ICA into three groups: a) Exclusionary behaviours F