The European Commission has referred Italy to the EU Court of Justice for "unjustified restrictions" on investments in private companies. In the viewfinder, says the Brussels body, companies such as Enel, Eni, Telecom Italia and Finmeccanica.
According to the European Commission, some regulatory provisions of our country - in particular those that give the State special powers in privatized companies "operating in strategic sectors" such as energy and telecommunications - would impose "unjustified restrictions on the free movement of capital".
These special powers, underlines the EU executive, have been introduced in the statutes of the companies that have ended up in the EU's sights. For Brussels, these powers make direct and portfolio investments "less advantageous" and therefore "discourage potential investors in other member states from buying shares in these companies".
In any case, the European Commission is confident, since – it states – “it can be expected that Italy will soon be able to comply with Community legislation”.
