FUELS: 'VERBALE D'INTESA' AGREEMENT IS NOT INCOMPATIBLE WITH COMPETITION LAW
PRESS RELEASE
PRESS RELEASE
Fuels: the 'Verbale d'Intesa'agreement is not incompatible with competition rules.
At its meeting on 13 June the Competition Authority ruled that the 'Verbale d'Intesa' agreement signed on 10 May by the government, Unione Petrolifera and the associations of the service station operators' associations Fegica, Faib and Figisc and of the private service stations' proprietors is not incompatible with competition rules as such.
This decision was issued in response to a request for authorization for a waiver submitted by the Unione Petrolifera in respect of one part of the 'Verbale d'Intesa' agreement referring to the procedure for negotiating with the service station operators and to the notification of the same agreement by Fegica which arrived the following day, to obtain an overall assessment of the agreement in terms of competition legislation.
The Authority considered that an investigation was not called for in this case because the 'Verbale d'Intesa' agreement in question merely confirmed the validity of negotiation between the parties and identified the parties to the corporate negotiations.
With particular reference to the plan to modernize the fuel distribution network, the Authority took note of the undertaking to submit the plan to it for an opinion before implementation.
The Authority obviously reserved any future assessment of the conduct of the companies if way the various agreements set out in the 'Verbale d'Intesa' agreement were subsequently be implemented interfered with competition.
Rome 14 June 2000