A customised client-oriented approach.
Our EU, Antitrust and Regulation team assists Italian and foreign companies in a wide range of industries, including telecommunications, energy, life sciences, tech and digital economy, transportation, food, banking, financial services and circular economy, providing clear, strategic and pragmatic advice across all areas of antitrust law.
Our market-leading expertise in mergers (at both EU and national level) enables us to identify a transaction structure best suited to achieving the buyer’s and seller’s objectives, as well as to advise on complex notification processes before the EU Commission and the Italian Competition Authority (AGCM).
With our extensive experience in the field of investigations, we successfully assist clients in investigations before the AGCM in relation to cartels and abuse of dominance.
In the area of unfair commercial practices and advertising, our team supports clients in investigations before the AGCM, civil disputes and disputes before the Italian Advertising Self-Regulation Institute (IAP), as well as in relation to the review of advertising, claims and any aspect of commercial and marketing policy that may impact consumers.
Our expertise also extends to the field of distribution agreements, where we offer multidisciplinary advice covering civil, antitrust and intellectual property law.
We also work to design and implement antitrust compliance programmes for clients ensuring they are aligned with the company’s other compliance needs (anti-corruption, privacy, etc.).
Our team also works closely with the Dispute Resolution Department of the Firm to assist clients in complex stand-alone and follow-on civil litigation.
Our multidisciplinary expertise also enables us to provide seamless and integrated legal advice on various regulatory matters in the energy, transport and telecommunications sectors.
HIGHLIGHTS:
- representing a major bank in a Phase 2 investigation before the ICA concerning the merger with a competitor. The case was cleared with the divestiture of only 5 branches;
- representing a multi-national oil supplier in the filing before the EU, Brazil and Ukraine for the acquisition of one the main oil refineries in Europe. The case was cleared in Phase 1 without remedies;
- representing a leading energy supplier in an abuse of dominance investigation before the ICA concerning an alleged refusal to supply aimed at foreclosing competitors;
- representing a multi-national retail chain in an investigation before the ICA concerning alleged unfair conditions applied to bread manufacturers;
- representing a luxury cosmetic multi-national supplier in the filing before the EU Commission of the first case of acquisition of a long-term exclusive licence qualified as merger under EU merger control rules. The case was cleared in Phase 1 without remedies;
- assisting a leading energy supplier in a Phase 2 investigation before the ICA related to the acquisition of a competitor. The case was cleared with both structural and behavioural remedies;
- representing a leading energy supplier in antitrust litigation involving an alleged refusal to recognize a credit rating company as authorised credit rating supplier. The case was fully dismissed by the Supreme Court;
- representing a leading chemical supplier in an abuse of dominance investigation before the ICA concerning an alleged refusals to supply aimed at foreclosing a competitor to access the fungicides market;
- representing a major multi-national cosmetic supplier in a cartel investigation before the ICA;
- assisting a multi-national oil supplier in one of the largest follow-on litigation pending in Italy concerning a cartel in the jet fuel sector;
- assisting a major cement manufacturer in a cartel investigation before the ICA;
- assisting a leading pharma company in a follow-on litigation concerning a cartel in the diabetes sector.