In the period January 2023-March 2024, the Antitrust examined 34,595 reports and concluded 102 proceedings, of which 40 with ascertainment of the infringement and 48 with acceptance of the commitments. In 47 cases characterized by less seriousness, the Authority ordered the dismissal following the adaptation of the companies to the indications formulated during the moral suasion. This activity allowed over 122 million euros to be returned to 600,000 consumers. This was underlined by the president of the Antitrust, Roberto Rustichelli in his speech at the presentation of the Authority's Report.
The
mix between sponsorship and charity
penalizes consumers
, said Rustichelli when presenting the Agcom report on the
Balocco-Ferragni
affair . "The proceedings aimed at repressing incorrect behavior in relation to online reviews and the investigations conducted in the influencer marketing sector deserve to be recalled - he says -. The latter have highlighted how consumer behavior can be unduly prejudiced by communication based on an ambiguous mix between sponsorship and charitable initiatives, leading them to believe - contrary to the truth - that they are contributing to the charitable initiative through the purchase of the product".
"The existence of companies that would not survive in truly competitive markets - the so-called
"zombie companies"
- causes system inefficiencies and hinders the growth of healthy companies, discouraging investment and employment," Rustichelli said. "The development of competitiveness, he added, therefore requires not only low barriers to entry, but also low barriers to exit. An economy that favors growth and social justice cannot instead be based on the protection of the status quo, on policies aimed at shielding existing businesses from more efficient and innovative new entrants, or on the use of public funds for the sole purpose of artificially keeping structurally unproductive businesses alive. Businesses are like people: they are born, they live and they die the evolution of the economic system in the sense just described, he continued, the Pnrr is fundamental not only for the resources and investments it allows to be mobilised, but also for the reforms it requires to be adopted. Competition policy does not only protect interests of consumers, but also those of efficient Italian companies, promoting a development model oriented towards competitiveness and equity".