PRESS RELEASE

RATING OF LEGALITY, NEW RULES FOR MORE STRINGENT TESTS, THE BOOM OF ALLOCATIONS CONTINUES

In the first eight months of 2016, 616 companies have obtained the rating of legality given by the Antitrust Authority, up from the 434 allocations in the same period in 2015. Also, there were 1215 requests received, an increase of 30.1% with respect to 2015. 28 companies were deemed unfit, whilst only three companies lost their “trading stamp”, a guarantee of good behaviour.

This is some of the data of the 2016 rating of legality published on the Antitrust Authority website. The comparison with the previous year shows, in general, a growing trend both for the requests ( 30.9%) and the allocations ( 39%), the confirmations ( 311.1% and the increase in the score ( 155%).

Published in the Official Gazette number 213 of 12 September 2016, the amendments to the regulations on the rating of legality are for two years and renewable with a specific request of the company signed by the legal representative and compiled using the form published on the Authority’s site. The modifications mainly concern requirements for access to the rating and the attainment of additional stars, the formal procedures and the controls provided for the verification of the existence of the self-certified conditions upon request.

Among the changes, reduction of the rating for companies that have received sanctions from the Anti-corruption Authority or annotations in computer records, more control on the ownership of subsidiaries of foreign companies that cannot receive the rating without the identification of the owners. Furthermore, no quality certification for companies that have received condemnation measures by the Antitrust Authority for unfair business practices or measures of conviction for non-compliance that can no longer be contested or a final judgement in the two years before the rating request.

The Regulation is aimed at companies that have headquarters in the national territory, having achieved a turnover of over two million Euros in the year before the rating request and have been entered into the register of companies for at least two years.

Rome, 21 September 2016