An Italian administrative court said on May 17 it had annulled measures taken by Italy's competition watchdog against Eni and Acea, which were charged over improper price-setting for gas and electricity.

The TAR del Lazio court said it had dropped the antitrust case because there was no adequate legal basis for the action.

Last December, Italy's antitrust body suspended the validity of contracts from Aug. 10, 2022, to April 30 this year that allowed seven companies under its investigation to change their prices, which it said contravened a government decree issued last August.

The firms involved were Enel, Hera, Edison, A2A and France's Engie.

A few days later, the watchdog dropped its investigation into A2A and Hera, while partially confirming the probe against the other firms, including Eni and Acea, which appealed to the administrative court.