Stampa

FIAVET EMILIA ROMAGNA-MARCHE-BLUVACANZE-FIAVET LOMBARDIA


PRESS RELEASE



PRESS RELEASE

THE COMPETITION AUTHORITY HAS IMPOSED PENALTIES ON FIAVET EMILIA ROMAGNA-MARCHE FOR ANTI-COMPETITIVE CONDUCT


At its meeting on 28 October 2004 the Competition Authority resolved that Fiavet Emilia Romagna-Marche, a regional association of travel agents and tour operators and a member of the national trade association, Fiavet, had concluded two anti-competitive agreements, infringing section 2(2) of the Competition Act. In view the seriousness and the duration of these agreements, the Authority imposed fines on the association totalling EUR7,500.

The investigation, which began in August 2003 in response to complaints by Fiavet Lombardia, also a member of the national trade Federation, and by Bluvacanza, a network of travel agents and tour operators with its headquarters in Milan, revealed that Fiavet Emilia Romagna-Marche had implemented an agreement regarding agency fees and an agreement on prices and discounts to be applied to the sale of services purchased by carriers and service providers.

The first agreement consisted of setting agency fee scales to charge to consumers, pursuant to a provision of the association's Code of Conduct, often accompanied by specific commercial policy indications, and circulating these fee scales and urging agencies to apply them. The second agreement consisted of provisions contained in the Code of Conduct requiring the member agencies to comply with the charges laid down by the service suppliers, in particular prohibiting the granting of discounts on tour sales organised by tour operators.

In view of the nature of these agreements, which were designed to ensure the horizontal coordination of price-setting, the fact that they were implemented by one of the most important organisations in the trade, and the long period of time the practice continued, the Authority deemed these offences to be very serious. Consequently, the Authority resolved to impose on Fiavet Emilia Romagna-Marche, using the subscription fees to the association as its benchmark, a fine of EUR5,000 for the agency fees agreement, and EUR2,500 for the agreement prohibiting the grant of discounts.


Rome, 10 November 2004