Carloni Publishes Chapter On The Recent Important Developments In Merger Control In Italy

Overview of merger control activity during the last 12 months

In 2013, 59 concentrations were notified to the Italian Competition Authority (Autorità Garante della Concorrenza e del Mercato or "ICA"), a significant reduction compared to the numbers in 2012 (451) and in 2011 (514). During the first months of 2014 (January to April), the ICA reviewed and cleared unconditionally 14 concentrations.

This sharp reduction in the number of concentrations reported to the ICA was due to the impact of the Monti government reform on the Italian merger control regime which, as of 1 January 2013, led to: (i) the modification of the reportability requirements in Italy1 which, by making the turnover thresholds cumulative rather than alternatives, introduced an effective mandatory local nexus requirement; and (ii) the abolition of the merger filing fees ("Monti reform")².