The Antitrust Authority has shed light on the price increases for ferries triggered by the European system for controlling CO2 emissions (ETS – Emission Trading System) which would have been passed on to passengers and freight transport companies.

The opening of a file by the Competition and Market Authority came following a report from PD MP Silvio Lai: «The case has been assigned by jurisdiction to the Transport, Energy and Environment department of the Authority's competition department», the Democratic Party representative said.

"The communication that was sent to me is positive news for consumers," explains Lai, who adds: "The management, on the basis of the information reported and the documentation that will be acquired, will have the opportunity to evaluate whether the provisions of the law are respected, to detect any abuses."

The anomaly, according to the reconstruction, "lies in the fact that the companies are attributing to the citizens travelers, with huge increases in tariffs, the costs of the extension to maritime transport of the Ets system that requires shipowners to purchase CO2 emission quotas. Increases that reach 27% already this year and will exceed 40% in 2026".

"The proportionality parameter would have been largely exceeded, given that independent studies, such as that of "Transport and Environment", report that the actual ETS cost only accounts for 1% for each individual route. The intervention of the Guarantor Authority will help to understand the actual reality of things in the iron logic of transparency and protection of citizens".

According to Confindustria Sardegna, in the freight sector for the Cagliari-Livorno route there is an increase of 217.60 euros, while from Olbia the increase is 197.20 euros.

Enrico Fresu

© Riproduzione riservata