PRESS RELEASE

ENTRY INTO FORCE OF THE EU DIRECTIVE ON CONSUMER PROTECTION AND PRESENTATION OF THE CAMPAIGN OF THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION - ANTITRUST ON RAI CHANNELS. CONFERENCE 7 to 8 JULY UNDER THE PRESIDENCY OF THE EUROPEAN SEMESTER ("EU COOPERATION FOR ENFORCEMENT OF CONSUMER LEGISLATION")

On the 7^th and 8^th of July 2014, the Antitrust Authority will host at its headquarters an important event on the calendar of events for the presidency turn of the European semester: two sessions of studies and analysis with leading European experts of the sector dedicated to the importance of the coordination between the various Community authorities in the field of consumer protection in a regulatory environment enhanced by the transposition of the EU Directive on Consumer Rights, which recognises new opportunities and protections for consumers, especially in remote bargaining.

In the era of Internet transactions it is, in fact, necessary for the enforcement of consumer protection rules to be made more effective by flexible, modern cooperation, but at the same time more intense, able to cope with the challenges posed by the spread of cross-border trade practises. The consumer must have confidence in e-commerce and be put away from the dangers that are hidden in this form of bargaining.

The meeting of 7-8 July shall be attended by numerous representatives of governments and EU sister authorities dealing with consumer protection, in addition to the Antitrust's President, Giovanni Pitruzzella, the Secretary for Economic Development, Simona Vicari, the European Commissioner for the consumers’ Protection, Neven Mimica and the German Deputy Minister Gerd Billen. The Conference will begin at 03:00 p.m. on July 7^th and will conclude at 01:00 p.m. of the next day.

In order to give the widest possible spread of this new form of consumer protection, the Antitrust Authority has reached an agreement with the Publishing Department of the Presidency of the Council, in agreement with the European Commission, for the programming of some information spots on Rai TV channels and Radio (also available on www.agcm.it), messages that have started a few days ago and will continue in the coming weeks. It is a simple and straightforward message, similar to those in other languages, that the European Commission has developed in order to raise awareness of citizens on new safeguards, which can be accessed to avoid being victims of unfair commercial practises and misleading advertising, primarily in the area of ​​digital communications. Other initiatives have been launched by the European Commission in all 28 countries, through the web, billboards and direct communication to information operators.

The press conference that will be held on July 7^th at 12:00 a.m. at the headquarters in Rome of the Italian Representation of the European Union, and which shall be attended by the Chairman of the Antitrust Giovanni Pitruzzella and the EU Commissioner Neven Mimica, will include the screening of a spot aired on public television, showing the six main posters of the information campaign addressed at Italian consumers and illustration of all the latest news in the field of consumer protection.

The Consumer Rights Directive.

The European directive captures many aspects of daily life for millions of people. In particular, it is completely replaced the part of the Code, from Article 45 to Article 67, which covers contracts traded both on and off premises contracts, distance contracts, the new penalty regime and discipline of "accelerated" refunds of the right of withdrawal. The Directive also introduces new pre-contractual disclosure requirements. The consumer must receive information regarding the seller (including a telephone number for a fast contact), the item purchased, the method of payment, the right of withdrawal and the legal guarantee.

The most important news for the buyer is the one on the right of withdrawal in signed distance contracts and off-premises contracts: the consumer without having to provide any justification to the seller, if it considers that the purchased property is not of his satisfaction or does not have the required characteristics, has a broader term, from the current 10 days to 14 days to exercise the right of withdrawal. And in the case in which the consumer has not been informed in advance on the right of reconsideration, the withdrawal shall be extended to as many as twelve months. In the event of cancellation, the seller has a lower number of days (from the current 30 to 14 days) to return the sums paid by the consumer. The latter on the other hand will have more time - 14 days instead of 10 - to return the good.

Here is a summary of the main changes.

-       More days will be available to withdraw from the contract and shorter times to get back the amounts paid.

-       There will be more days to rethink before a careless or unsatisfactory purchase and shorter times to get back the sum paid.

-       The seller shall be liable for damage or loss of the goods until it has delivered the same materially into the hands of the purchaser.

-       New rules will come into force governing contracts concluded at a distance, such as on the telephone, and off-premises contracts: the seller will always be obliged to confirm the offer to the consumer.

All journalists and cameramen willing to apply for accreditation to the two-day meeting and press conference on July 7^th, are kindly requested to write an e-mail to the following address: [email protected].

Rome, 3 July 2014