PRESS RELEASE

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS: ANTITRUST WARNS THE LAWYERS' ASSOCIATIONS OF CIVITAVECCHIA, LATINA, TEMPIO PAUSANIA, TIVOLI AND VELLETRI ABOUT HINDERING ACCESS OF COMMUNTARIAN LAWYERS TO THE ITALIAN MARKET OF LEGAL AID SERVICES

The associations constrained competition by introducing policies and abstract requirements, not provided or required by national and Communitarian legislation for registration in the special section for established lawyers. Symbolic fine of 1,000 euro each. The antitrust law was not on the other hand violated by the Associations of Chieti, Matera, Modena, Milan, Rome, Sassari and Taranto.

The Councils of Lawyers’ Associations of Civitavecchia, Latina, Temple, Tivoli and Velletri placed restrictive competition agreements aimed at hindering access of Communitarian attorneys to the Italian market of legal aid services. The Antitrust established this and, at the end of the investigation begun on 14^th December 2010, warned the Associations against future similar behaviour, imposing a symbolic fine of 1,000 euros each: the Associations have, among other things, promptly revoked the disputed determinations.

In the same resolution, approved on 23^rd April 2013, the Autorità Garante della Concorrenza e del Mercato instead ruled that the Councils of the Associations of Chieti, Matera, Modena, Milan, Rome, Sassari and Taranto did not violate the law on protection against competition because they limited themselves to carrying out targeted checks on individual positions in specific and isolated cases.

The penalised Associations instead had introduced general requirements, in resolutions, regulations and through targeted behaviours, that go beyond what is provided in national and Communitarian legislation and seek to place obstacles to Communitarian lawyers working in the legal profession in Italy.

Rome, 16^th May 2013