ROMA – On the day when the petrol stations decide to go ahead with the strike on 25 and 26 January against the government’s transparency decree, the Competition and Market Authority moves with the Guardia di Finanza to inspect the offices of some big names in the oil: Eni, Esso Italiana, Italiana Petroli, Kuwait Petroleum Italia and Tamoil Italia.
The initiative of the Authority, with the Special Antitrust Unit of the Fiamme Giallecomes after the Guardia di Finanza itself had “promptly” transmitted the documentation on the infringements found in the control activity, in recent months.
A thousand distributors involved
The Authority speaks of over a thousand petrol pumps involved (ENI 376 brand, ESSO 40 brand, IP 383 brand, Kuwait 175 brand, TAMOIL 48 brand) distributed throughout the national territory.
The Antitrust has launched the investigations because the data of the financiers attribute to the oil companies conducts attributable to the lack of diligence on controls with respect to the network of distributors, in violation of the art. 20 of the Consumer Code.
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by Diego Longhin
Pricewatch ignored
The cases attributed to the distributors are now known. The Authority explains that often “there was a discrepancy between the advertised price and the higher one actually applied; in others, the omitted display of the price charged was found, or the omitted communication to the “Oss” portalervaprezzi Carburanti”, useful for the consumer to find the pump with the lowest price“.
What is blamed on the companies – Eni, Esso, IP, Kuwait Petroleum Italia and Tamoil – is that they have not “adopted suitable measures or initiatives to prevent and combat this illegal conduct to the detriment of consumers“.
The protest of the distributors
In the meantime, the tug of war between the network and the government is being updated with a new step. After the protest of the gas station attendants who have badly digested the accusations, which came from several parts of the majority, of “speculation” and the partial reconciliation with the government, following a first meeting, the managers of the Fegica and Figisc Confcommercio pumps instead return to confirm the strike scheduled for January 25-26.
The reason for the new wave of anger is precisely the decree on price transparency published by the government on Saturday, especially in the part relating to the sanctions that require petrol stations. The acronyms, on the basis of the new law, affirm that “under these conditions the strike” already called for 25 and 26 January is confirmed. “On the expensive fuel the government’s blame game continues” affirms the president of Fegica, Roberto Di Vincenzo while the national president of Figisc Bruno Bearzi warns that “if tomorrow in the meeting at Mimit the decree is not restarted, the strike will be confirmed”.