Mr. Saverio Valentino, who was appointed as President of the Italian Competition Authority by the President of the Senate, Ignazio La Russa, and the President of the Chamber of Deputies, Lorenzo Fontana, took office yesterday as Chairman of the Authority. “I am deeply grateful to the Presidents of the two Houses of Parliament for entrusting me with this role. For me, this represents the culmination of a professional career entirely devoted to competition law,” commented the newly appointed President.

Mr. Valentino, a lawyer born in Rome in 1971, has served as a Commissioner of the Italian Competition Authority since 13 June 2023. Admitted to the Rome Bar since 1999 – and qualified to practise before the Court of Cassation since 2013 – as well as to the New York Bar since 2001, he has mainly specialised in Italian and EU competition law. He has acted before the courts of the European Union, Italian administrative and civil courts, the European Commission, the Italian Competition Authority and other competition Authorities in several countries around the world.

After graduating with honours in Law from Sapienza University of Rome in 1995, Mr. Valentino obtained a Master’s in EU law (LL.M.) from the College of Europe in Bruges in 1996 and a Master of Laws (LL.M.) from the University of Chicago Law School in 2000. He also worked with the European Commission’s Directorate-General I, within the unit responsible for multilateral trade policies and issues relating to the World Trade Organization and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

Rome, 17 July 2026

Milan-Cortina 2026: the Italian Competition Authority issues fines of over €2.5 million for ambush marketing

The fined companies conducted advertising campaigns and promotional activities which frequently featured or evoked the Olympic symbols and emblems, and/or official names such as “Milano-Cortina/Milano-Cortina2026”. Investigations prompted by the monitoring activities of the Special Antitrust Unit of the Italian Financial Police.

The Italian Competition Authority has closed its investigations launched starting from January 2026 into Harmont&Blaine S.p.A., Rialto S.p.A. (“Il Gigante” supermarkets), MD S.p.A. (“MD” supermarkets), Magazzini Gabrielli S.p.A. (“Oasi” supermarkets), RetailPro S.p.A. (“Pro7” supermarkets) and Butan Gas S.p.A., finding the companies to have breached the prohibition against ambush marketing. The companies have been fined over 2.5 million euro in total.

The investigations were launched following monitoring activities carried out by the Special Antitrust Unit of the Italian Financial Police (Guardia di Finanza). The Authority exercised its powers under Law Decree 16/2020 (converted by Law 31/2020) concerning ambush marketing. In particular, the Authority found that, despite not being the official sponsors of the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games, the companies Harmont&Blaine S.p.A., Rialto S.p.A., MD S.p.A., Magazzini Gabrielli S.p.A., RetailPro S.p.A. and Butan Gas S.p.A. created an association between their brand and the Olympics, thereby misleading the public as to the identity of the official sponsors.

During the Olympic Games, the companies conducted advertising campaigns and promotional activities which frequently featured or evoked, in different forms, the Olympic symbols (five rings) and emblems, and/or official names such as “Milano-Cortina/Milano-Cortina2026”. These elements were found to amount to ambush marketing, in breach of the prohibition laid down in article 10 of Law Decree 16/2020.

Rome, 17 July 2026

Text of the decision Harmont & Blaine

Text of the decision Il Gigante

Text of the decision MD

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Text of the decision Oasi

Text of the decision PRO7

Authority concerned that Microsoft may have failed to make it sufficiently clear that its subscription service had been integrated with the “Copilot” and “Designer” artificial intelligence services

The Italian Competition Authority has launched an investigation into Microsoft Ireland Operations Ltd. and Microsoft S.r.l. over an unfair commercial practice relating to the information provided to consumers about the increase in the subscription price for the “Microsoft 365” service. This information appears to have been provided in a fragmented manner, without making it sufficiently clear that the subscription service had been integrated with the “Copilot” and “Designer” artificial intelligence services. Moreover, it seems that consumers were placed, by default, on a new subscription plan at a higher price, unless they exercised their right of withdrawal.

In the Authority’s view, this conduct may be contrary to consumer rules, since Microsoft appears to have failed to provide consumers with sufficient information to assess the changes made to the service offered and, as a consequence, make an informed decision as to whether or not to renew their subscription. The way in which the information was communicated may also constitute an aggressive practice, as it appears to have unduly restricted consumers’ freedom of choice.

Rome, 26 June 2026

The company misleadingly advertised time-limited promotions and discounts, including through the use of a “countdown timer”.

The Italian Competition Authority has imposed a 2 million euro fine on Deghi S.p.A. for engaging in an unfair commercial practice. The Authority found that between January 2024 and the end of December 2025, the company repeatedly used a “countdown timer” to advertise time-limited discounts which, once expired, were renewed under the same pricing conditions with a new “timer”. In doing so, Deghi misleadingly presented the prices and discounts of many products advertised as being “on promotion” on its website https://www.deghi.it/.

The practice is particularly insidious, as it is based on a manipulation technique known as a “dark pattern”: it imposes a fake time limit on promotional product offers in order to pressure consumers to make a purchase, thereby exploiting the so-called “scarcity heuristic”.

Rome, 25 June 2026

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The inquiry, to be conducted jointly with IVASS, will focus primarily on the functioning of risk allocation systems (e.g. bonus-malus systems and merit classes) and of the direct compensation procedure, as well as on possible barriers to consumer switching (e.g. black boxes and price comparison tools)

The Italian Competition Authority has launched a market investigation to examine possible competition concerns in the motor insurance sector. The investigation will be carried out jointly with the Italian Institute for the Supervision of Insurance (IVASS), responsible for regulating and overseeing the insurance sector, within the framework of the Memorandum of Understanding between the two institutions.

The motor insurance sector is substantial in size, given the mandatory nature of motor insurance and the widespread use of motor vehicles, with premiums of around €13,5 billion in 2025. Over the years, the legal and regulatory framework governing motor insurance has been amended on several occasions, including following recommendations made by the AGCM through its advocacy work. These changes were aimed at making the system more efficient and increasing competition between insurers. However, there may still be some unresolved concerns, which the Authority and IVASS consider should be examined further as part of the market investigation.

The inquiry aims to assess whether, under the current legal and regulatory framework, there are factors in the motor insurance sector that may be hindering the development of competition for the benefit of end consumers. It also seeks as to identify any measures that could address those factors.

In particular, the market investigation will focus on how risk allocation systems (e.g. bonus-malus systems and merit classes) and the direct compensation procedure operate. It will also examine the role of devices that monitor driving behaviour and vehicle activity, such as black boxes, and whether these may hinder consumer switching. The inquiry will further consider how the complexity of commercial offers and discounting practices affect the proper functioning of price comparison tools, including Preventivass.

Alongside the inquiry, a public consultation (Call for inputs) has been launched to gather feedback from stakeholders on the issues at hand, described in greater detail in the decision opening the market investigation. Feedback may be submitted no later than 31 July 2026 at the following e-mail address: [email protected].

Rome, 18 June 2026

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The Digital Markets Act requires Apple to grant third parties free and effective interoperability with hardware and software features controlled via Apple’s iOS and iPadOS operating systems.

The Italian Competition Authority has launched an investigation into Apple Inc., Apple Distribution International Ltd and Apple Italia S.r.l. (hereinafter, “Apple”) over its compliance with the Digital Markets Act (hereinafter, the “DMA”) interoperability obligation that applies to Apple’s iOS and iPadOS operating systems. Pursuant to Article 6(7) of the DMA, Apple must ensure that third-party providers of consumer cloud are granted free and effective interoperability with the iOS and iPadOS operating systems and are given access under equal conditions to the same hardware and software features as those available to Apple’s iCloud.

The Authority has indications that third-party providers of consumer cloud may not be placed on an equal footing as Apple’s iCloud. This is because they appear to lack access to the same features used by or otherwise made available to iCloud. For example, it appears that Apple does not allow alternative cloud storage services to use the iOS and iPadOS features enabling end users to perform a full backup of their devices’ data, while those same features are available to Apple’s iCloud.

This marks the first time the Authority exercises its powers under Article 38(7) of the DMA, specifically conferred on it by Law 214 of 30 December 2023, the “2022 Annual Law on Pro-competitive Reforms” and, in particular, Article 18, “Measures for the implementation of Regulation (EU) 2022/1925 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 September 2022 on contestable and fair markets in the digital sector”. Under this Law, the Authority can support the European Commission (hereinafter “Commission”) with preliminary investigations under the DMA. The investigation was launched in close cooperation with the Commission.

The findings of the Authority will be shared with the Commission to support it in its role as sole DMA enforcer.

Rome, 16 June 2026

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According to the Authority, the advertisements mislead consumers into believing the products are harmless to health or less harmful compared to other tobacco products

The Italian Competition Authority has imposed a 7 million euro fine on Philip Morris Italia S.r.l. – a company active in the production and marketing of manufactured tobacco products – for engaging in an unfair commercial practice. Following a complex investigation prompted by a complaint from the Ministry of Health, the Authority found that the expressions and claims “smoke-free”, “smoke-free products” and “building/planning/accelerating a smoke-free future”, used as part of a wider marketing strategy for its combustion-free tobacco products, mislead consumers – including minors – into believing that the products are harmless to health and/or less harmful than other tobacco products, particularly traditional cigarettes.

The evidence gathered during the inspections and investigation actually indicates that current scientific and clinical knowledge does not support the claim that these products are less harmful or harmless, not least because of the presence of nicotine.

The Authority has instructed Philip Morris Italia S.r.l. to inform it – within sixty days of being notified the decision – of the measures put in place to bring this practice to an end.

Rome, 10 June 2026

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The Authority has also opened an interim measures procedure to put an immediate end to the practice of unilaterally applying adjustments to flight ticket prices based on fluctuations in the price of Brent.

The Italian Competition Authority has launched an investigation into airline Volotea S.L., alongside an interim measures procedure under which the company has the opportunity to be heard (audita altera parte), with a view to requiring it to immediately cease the unfair practice of unilaterally applying adjustments to its flight ticket prices. These changes are notified to consumers only after purchase and shortly before the scheduled departure date.

In particular, Volotea introduced a new ticket sale policy, called Fair Travel Promise, in response to rising fuel costs linked to the situation in the Middle East. The policy provides for a mechanism to adjust flight ticket prices, either upwards or downwards, to reflect fluctuations in the price of Brent. Seven days before departure, the company informs consumers of the fare adjustment to be paid to use the previously purchased ticket, ranging from a minimum of 6 to a maximum of 14 euro per passenger per flight, based on the latest available data on the cost of Brent. Consumers may change their flight, free of charge, or cancel their booking and receive a full refund in the form of Volotea credit. However, if passengers do not pay the fare adjustment, their booking is cancelled and they lose the right to a refund.

In the Authority’s view, this unilateral adjustment of flight ticket prices is in breach of consumer protection rules. On the one hand, it may lead consumers to choose a flight on the basis of incomplete and misleading information – namely, the price displayed at the time of purchase. On the other hand, it may exert undue pressure when, close to departure, consumers are faced with the choice of either paying the fare adjustment or rescheduling their journey, and are therefore induced to accept the change.

Rome, 4 June 2026

Authority concerned that the Biogen group may have pursued a strategy designed to exclude and limit competition from Sandoz, a new entrant, in the market for drugs treating multiple sclerosis containing natalizumab.

The Italian Competition Authority has launched an investigation into Biogen Italia S.r.l. and its parent company Biogen Inc. over a possible abuse of dominant position. The conduct of the two companies appears to be aimed at excluding their competitor Sandoz from offering multiple sclerosis medication containing the active ingredient natalizumab, in breach of article 102 TFEU.

Natalizumab is used to treat patients with rapidly evolving severe multiple sclerosis. For over 15 years, Biogen marketed Tysabri, the only drug (originator) containing natalizumab. Starting from 2024, following the expiry of patent protection, Sandoz attempted to market Tyruko, a biosimilar drug also containing natalizumab, equivalent to the originator, but offered at a significantly lower price. Because treatment with natalizumab may cause a rare side effect, patients are required to undergo a specific test (anti-JCV test) before starting treatment and at regular intervals thereafter, in order to assess the risk of developing PML, a serious central nervous system demyelinating disease.

In the Authority’s view, Biogen holds a dominant position in the supply of the anti-JCV test (named Stratify) because, until 2022, it was the only test authorised for screening and had effectively become the reference standard within the medical community. By leveraging its anti-JCV Stratify test, Biogen appears to be excluding and/or limiting competition from Sandoz in the market for multiple sclerosis drugs containing natalizumab. This is because Biogen makes the use of its test conditional on the purchase of its own drug and refuses to make it commercially available for patients treated with the competing biosimilar.

Moreover, these practices seem to have deprived the National Health Service of the cost advantages associated with biosimilars, since Sandoz’s drug would generate savings of at least 20% compared with Biogen’s originator.

The Authority underlines that these drugs are charged over €1,000 for a single pack, placing a significant burden on pharmaceutical expenditure, and are administered only in hospitals over long treatment cycles. The spread of biosimilars is therefore essential to promote competition, with savings that are crucial for the sustainability of the National Health Service and for funding access to the most innovative therapies for a growing number of patients. For this reason, according to the Authority, strategies that hinder and/or prevent the development of biosimilars, and competition between originators and biosimilars, may breach antitrust rules and seriously affect healthcare expenditure. Protecting competition is thus an essential part of safeguarding the right to health and access to innovative care.

Inspections at the Italian premises of Biogen were carried out yesterday by the Authority’s officials, assisted by the Special Antitrust Unit of the Italian Financial Police (Guardia di Finanza).

Rome, 27 May 2026

Text of the decision