AGCM

Given the seriousness of the situation for the waste emergency in the Lazio Region, the Authority has not excluded the use of interim measures

The Italian Competition Authority has decided to initiate an investigation against Ecologia Viterbo S.r.l., a company with a dominant position on the Lazio market for the disposal of waste generated by the treatment of unsorted municipal waste, in order to ascertain an alleged abuse as a result of the unjustified refusal to guarantee to RIDA Ambiente S.r.l. (an operator active in the phase of the treatment of waste that needs to be landfilled) access to its landfill site.

The Authority, considering the context of serious waste emergency in the Lazio Region, has also initiated proceedings for the possible application of interim measures. In fact, the Antitrust assumes that the continuation of the contested conduct is likely to produce serious and irreparable damage to competition, which could not only cause RIDA to exit the market, but also prevent an agreement between the latter and AMA S.p.a. from being signed for a prompt resolution of the emergency situation related to the disposal of unsorted waste in the territory of the Capital Rome. Moreover, this agreement would also have a positive impact on the tariff paid by end-users.

Today, the Authority officials carried out inspections on the premises of the concerned companies with the assistance of the Special Antitrust Unit of the Finance Police.

Rome, 2 December 2021