The 2022 Annual Law for Competition (the "Law") has been published in the Official Journal No. 303 of 30 December 2023 and entered into force on 31 December 2023.

The Law has changed the powers of the Italian Competition Authority ("ICA") with regard to merger control. In particular, the Law has extended the phase II timing from 45 calendar days to 90 calendar days. Such extension is crucial for the parties involved in transaction subject to merger control filing to the ICA, as they will need to take this into account when negotiating the relevant antitrust clauses and considering the timing for closing the transactions.  

Moreover, with the Law, the ICA has been designated as the relevant authority for the enforcement of Regulation (EU) 2022/1925 (Digital Markets Act). 

The Law intervenes also on other sectors, such as energy, transportation, retail and consumer protection.