Autostrade, Atlantia writes to the EU: "Government has violated rules"

2020-06-18T08:20:13.383Z

 Atlantia sent a letter to the vice president of the EU commission, Valdis Dombrovskis, accusing the Italian government of violating European standards. In particular, according to an anticipation by the Financial Times, the leaders of Atlantia complain that the Milleproroghe rules have allowed the Government to "dramatically reduce" the compensation granted to the group in the event of early termination of the Autostrade per l'Italia contract and point the finger also against the change of the mechanism for establishing motorway tolls. Atlantia also accuses the government of forcing it to sell its majority stake in Autostrade to Cdp "at a reduced value, creating significant damage to thousands of Italian and foreign investors". In the letter, the president of Atlantia, Fabio Cerchiai, and the managing director Carlo Bertazzo asked Brussels to take "rapid and decisive initiatives" with the Italian authorities "to deal with the violation of EU rules". The letter also stated that Atlantia believes that government measures, including the new rules approved by decree, violate the principles of European law, including those concerning compliance with contracts and free market economies. Atlantia, writes the Ft again, declined to comment, and neither the Italian government nor Dombrovskis have commented. The Financial Times therefore recalls that the group's decision to send the letter to Brussels came after Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said that the future of the concession to Autostrade has dragged on for too long and that uncertainty must end. Conte, the Ft writes again, also said that the government will not accept Atlantia's offer of 3 billion euros to resolve the dispute.