PRESS RELEASE

MEETING BETWEEN ANTITRUST AUTHORITY AND CONSUMERS: “A COMMON COMMITMENT TO PROTECT THE CITIZENS AND DEFEND LEGALITY”

It was a plenary assembly between the Antitrust Authority and the consumer and user Associations the one that took place in recent days in Rome, at the premises of the Competition and Market Guarantor Authority (Agcm), in the presence of all its top echelons: the president, Giovanni Pitruzzella, the board members Salvatore Rebecchini and Gabriella Muscolo, the Head of Cabinet Filippo Arena, and the Secretary General Roberto Chieppa. A working meeting aimed at increasing mutual familiarity and collaboration, in the general interest of citizens, and for the protection of market and competition. It also gave rise at the end to a common commitment to defend legality in order to facilitate the Country’s economic and social recovery: “There are no rivalries – President Pitruzzella inter alia said – between the different authorities”. And addressing consumers directly, he added: “We must all work together so as to combat corruption and dishonest conduct”.

Inaugurated by an introductory report from Giovanni Calabrò, the person in charge of the General Directorate for Consumer Protection, the meeting was first of all needed to inform the Associations about the internal restructuring, based on the organogram in force since 26 January. Three are at present the sectorial Directorates into which the structure is currently divided: the first one is devoted to monitoring the primary industry, energy, transports and commerce; the second one to monitoring communications, finance and insurance, postal services and real estate; the third one, lastly, to monitoring the heavy industry, the chemical, pharmaceutical, agribusiness, mechanical engineering, textile and tourism sectors as well as other services. The detailed illustration of their jurisdictional spheres and activities was done by Iacopo Berti, Massimo Ferrero and Laura Grenga.

As part of a general appreciation of the Antitrust Authority by the representatives of the Associations, there were also specific requests and proposals with a view to better fulfilling the citizens’ needs. Some of them, such as Rosario Trefiletti (Federconsumatori) and Francesco Ferroni (Adiconsum), underlined in particular the need for a more direct and incisive use of the Fund established with the Minister of Economic Development through the sanctions imposed by the Authority, consistently with its original purposes as prescribed by law, for the sake of financing institutional initiatives on consumers’ behalf. Elio Lannutti, Adusbef’s president, solicited banks to apply in a quicker and more effective manner the legislation on the portability of current accounts, and thereafter insisted on the convenience of a close collaboration between the Antitrust Authority and the national anti-corruption Authority.

In the course of the numerous interventions, issues dealt with included also e-commerce (Lamberto Santini – Adoc); telephone and water services bills; databases and car rental services. On behalf of the Altroconsumo Association, its secretary general Luisa Crisigiovanni expressed her hope in a better development of the advocacy policy at a European level; whereas Ivano Giacomelli (Codici – Centre for citizens’ rights) suggested to introduce the offence of “consumer fraud” into Italian legislation.

At the end of the meeting, it was the turn of the secretary general of the Competition and Market Guarantor Authority (Agcm) to thank all the participants and reiterate the commitment to collaboration: “You – Chieppa concluded – are an integral part of our activity”.

Rome, 23 March 2015