Italy Fines Six Oil Firms €936M Over Truck-Fuel Cartel

Italy's antitrust regulator fined six oil companies, including Eni, Esso, Ip (Iplom), Q8, Saras and Tamoil, about €936–937 million for coordinating to restrict competition in the sale of truck fuel. The authority said the cartel operated from Jan. 1, 2020 to June 30, 2023, coordinating the value of the biofuel component and implementing parallel price increases through direct or indirect information exchanges. Regulators noted the bio component price roughly tripled from about €20 per cubic metre in 2019 to around €60/m3 by 2023, distorting competition and raising costs for transport and logistics. Fines were allocated roughly as follows: Eni €336.2m, Q8 €173m, Ip €164m, Esso €129m, Tamoil €91m and Saras €44m. The probe was opened after a whistleblower tip-off and the authority described the investigation as complex; some companies had not immediately responded to requests for comment.