16 - 17 MARCH 2005 MEETING
PRESS RELEASE
PRESS RELEASE
16 - 17 MARCH 2005 MEETING
Conflict of interest: report on situations of conflict with holding government office
The Competition Authority today held its customary weekly meeting.
As part of its institutional activities relating to competition, the Authority examined a number of acquisitions and mergers, and cases of misleading advertising.
With regard to its new powers regarding conflict of interest, the Authority - which last week had already ruled that serving as a Special Government Commissioner was incompatible with the office of a serving Prefect - further specified its contention that a Commissioner could not also be a serving Councillor of State. Consequently, any government officer intending to remain a Councillor of State is required to request temporary leave.
It also ruled that a government officer may not also serve as a member of the Board of a private University which, according to their statutes, perform an activity which could qualify as a business, even though they may have charitable or not-for-profit status. In some cases universities could incorporate, participate in and control business enterprises, giving the Board of Directors powers over the economic and financial management of the universities.
The full report on the decisions adopted by the Authority at this weekly meeting will be published in Bulletin no. 11, which can also be found on the website www.agcm.it as from 4 April 2005.
Rome, 17/3/2005