This chapter summarises the core trends for regulatory reform in Italy, assessing the performance in the light of the economic context. This includes an analysis of the links with economic growth. The chapter discusses goals, progress and results of regulatory reform policies, in terms of the political commitment, the new institutional impetus, the tools for regulatory quality, as well as protecting competition and consumers and addressing the challenges of quality regulation in a multi-level governance context. The chapter assesses the potential benefits of reforms and offers options for moving forward the regulatory reform agenda, building political momentum and consensus for reform.

This chapter assesses government capacity to assure high-quality regulation in Italy, including regulatory institutions, tools and policies. It discusses capacity for reform, including the mechanisms in the executive and the role of Parliament, as well as sectoral regulatory authorities and the co-ordination with the European Union. The chapter analyses the transparency and predictability of the regulatory framework. It discusses the strategies for improving the quality of new regulation in Italy, including Regulatory Impact Analysis and the search for alternatives. Finally, it discusses the strategies for improving the regulatory stock. This covers the recent progress with legislative simplification and the introduction of the “Guillotine Clause”. It also reviews recent efforts towards administrative simplification, including the measurement and reduction of administrative burdens, and efforts coupling simplification and ICT innovation.

Italy has made progress implementing the recommendations of the 2001 OECD Report on Regulatory Reform in Italy, to eliminate unnecessary regulatory constraints on competition about price, entry, and quality. The Bersani reforms in 2006 and 2007 removed many constraints, and in a way that showed how reform benefits consumers, shifting the terms of debate about reform priorities. These reforms have vindicated the Antitrust Authority’s programme of policy study and advocacy, since the Authority’s reports supplied the evidence to justify and explain them. Other recommendations have received less attention. Including competition policy in the legislative quality process remains an aspiration. The issue of competition in local public services remains open. Antitrust enforcement has improved in some of the recommended directions, notably stronger sanctions and more flexibility to permit adopting a formal leniency programme. This chapter discusses timetables for merger review in the light of European practice.

This chapter discusses the core challenges for competition and regulatory reforms in professional services. The chapter presents the context for the 2006-07 reforms of liberal professions, the so-called Bersani reforms. The chapter analyses the various dimensions of conduct regulation, including prices, advertising, quality of services and forms of business, with a specific focus on pharmacists, engineers, architects, accountants and lawyers including notaries. This involves issues related to fee regulation and calculation methods, as well as the abolition of minimum and fixed prices. The chapter addresses the exclusive tasks for designated professionals, including limitations of notaries’ reserved tasks in the recent period as well as related issues for pharmacy services, with implications for the sales of OTC products.

This chapter introduces key issues for multi-level governance in Italy. These are presented in the context of the relative economic performance among Italian regions and the persistent regional disparities. The chapter discusses the evolution towards increased decentralisation following the recent constitutional reforms. It presents competitiveness and regional development policies in the multi-level governance framework. Finally the chapter also discusses the issues at stake for the liberalisation of local public services in Italy, with past and recent efforts, as well as economic and structural challenges.

This chapter discusses the challenges of efficient regulation in a multi-level governance context. The chapter analyses the role of the new regional statutes and of the co-ordination mechanisms between the national, regional and local levels. The chapter discusses the interface between the regions and the EU. The use of regulatory tools at regional level is analysed in some detail, including legal drafting, consultation and communication, regulatory impact analysis, as well as legislative and administrative simplification. The chapter also discusses compliance, enforcement and dispute settlement mechanisms at local level, as well as legislative review and ex post evaluation.

This chapter analyses the liberalisation of commercial distribution in recent years, and presents the costs of barriers to entry. The regulatory framework is discussed from a multi-level perspective, including the 1998 reform and the rising role of regions, with implications in terms of land planning regulations and their interactions with planning regulations for the supply of retail services. The chapter offers a cross regional comparison of regional regulations after the 2001 constitutional reform, with a focus on store size thresholds, authorisation of medium-sized and large stores, opening hours and promotions and sales. The increasing role of regional regulations through the devolution process makes it difficult to assess the competition implications. The chapter also discusses the specific cases of pharmacies, news agents and petrol stations. Finally, the chapter analyses the scope for co-ordination mechanisms, including the State, the regions and the municipalities.

This chapter discusses the core challenges for the regulation of local transport in Italy, including the general structure, the role of subsidies and the impact of EU regulations. A number of comparisons with other European countries are performed. The chapter presents the drivers for regulatory reform in local public transports, as well as the limits to the reforms. The regulatory framework of a set of selected Italian regions is presented in further detail, in terms of its interaction with the national level, the policies for minimum services, planning for services and investment, as well as implications from a competition perspective. The chapter also covers strategies to regulate service quality, as well as the role for consultation and regulatory impact analysis on policy development in this sector. Finally, the issues of the co-ordination within integrated transport systems are considered. A brief introduction to the Italian 2006 taxi reform is also presented.

This chapter discusses the regulatory framework for energy regulation from a multilevel perspective, including the effects of liberalisation in the electricity and natural gas sectors. This involves a discussion of the price dynamics, as well as production, distribution, imports and new investments. The specific case of investments in natural gas facilities is addressed. The chapter also discusses the regulation of quality in the energy sector. It presents the regional energy plans from a multi-level perspective. Finally it discusses the role of local public service companies in the energy markets.