Antitrust Report: 122 Million Euros Returned to Consumers in Italy

In the period January 2023-March 2024, the Antitrust investigated 34,595 reports and concluded 102 lawsuits, of which 40 with confirmation of the violation and 48 with acceptance of the commitments. In 47 cases identified as not so serious, the Authority ordered the dismissal after the companies changed according to the signs created during morale. This activity allowed more than 122 million euros to be returned to 600,000 users. This was confirmed by the president of the Antitrust, Roberto Rustichelli in his speech at the presentation of the Authority’s Report.

The a combination of sponsorship and charity penalizing consumerssaid Rustichelli when presenting the Agcom report on the matter Balocco-Ferragni. “The actions aimed at reversing wrongful behavior in relation to online reviews and the investigations carried out in the influencer marketing sector deserve to be reversed – he say -. sponsorship and charity campaigns, leading them to believe – contrary to the truth – that they are contributing to the charity campaign by purchasing the product”.

“There are companies that do not survive in truly competitive markets – so-called “zombie businesses” – causing inefficiencies in the system and hindering the growth of healthy businesses, discouraging investments and employment”, said Rustichelli. An economy that favors growth and social justice cannot be based on the protection of the status quo, on policies aimed at protecting existing businesses from new, more efficient and innovative entrants, or on the use of public funds for voluntary survival – only. structurally unproductive industries. They are born, they live and die. To support the evolution of the economic system in the sense that explained, he continued, the Pnrr is fundamental not only for the resources and investments it allows, but also for the reforms that must be adopted. Competition policy is not not only protecting the interests of consumers, but also the interests of efficient Italian companies, promoting a development model aimed at competitiveness and fairness”.

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