AGCM

Stamp issue celebrates twentieth anniversary of the Autorità Garante della Concorrenza e del Mercato

The tricolour of Italy and the blue of Europe overlap on a new stamp dedicated to the Autorità Garante della Concorrenza e del Mercato. The issue, due Sunday October 10, is part of a series on the theme “The Institutions” and enters the philatelic and cultural heritage of the country in sign of recognition of the important role played by the watchdog body on the occasion of its twentieth anniversary.

“We celebrate the past twenty years aware that we still have a long way to go in making the Country more competitive. Much remains to be done,” states AGCM president Antonio Catricalà, “as regards protecting consumers”. The inscription on the stamp – “20 years of Antitrust for the people” – was specifically chosen to reflect the Antitrust Authority’s efforts to make attention to the citizen the underlying rule of businesses. This is a cultural issue for society as a whole: as such, in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Research, we sent our officers into schools to explain the value of competition and fair trading. Awards will be given on Sunday to students who submitted the best designs and we will be on-hand to explain to people the activities of the Antitrust Authority.”

“It is our duty to pay tribute to the role of the Antitrust Authority on the twentieth anniversary of its establishment,” affirms the Poste Italiane president Giovanni Ialongo. The aim of the stamp – a simple item anyone can afford – is to remind people of the high social value of protecting competition and consumers, a task the Antitrust Authority performs in the service of citizens in addition to providing a major contribution towards integrating the Country into the broader context of the EU.”

An illustrative bulletin will go on sale accompanying the issue containing an article by Autorità Garante della Concorrenza e del Mercato president Antonio Catricalà.

Four million copies of the 1.40 euro face value stamp will be printed.

The stamp, designed by commercial artist Luca Vangelli, is printed at the Security Printing Works of the State Polygraphic Institute and Mint. Features: rotogravure printing on non-watermarked fluorescent paper; paper size 40 x 30 mm; print size 36 x 26 cm; dentation: 13 x 13¼; colours - six; print volume; sheets – fifty-stamp, value 70 euros.
The graphic design depicts a group of people on the right and on the left the flag of Italy partially overlapped by that of the European Union.

On the day of issue, the philately shop “Spazio Filatelia” (Rome - Piazza San Silvestro, 20) will use a special cancellation mark produced by the Philately Department of Poste Italiane.

The stamp and philatelic products will go on sale at national Post Offices, Philately Counters, “Spazio Filatelia” shops in Rome, Milan, Venice, Naples, Trieste and at www.poste.it.