ANTITRUST | The ICA started an investigation for alleged abuse of a dominant position

On 26 March 2026, the Italian Competition Authority (ICA) launched an investigation against Edenred SE and Edenred Italia S.r.l. (Edenred or the Company) to ascertain an alleged abuse of a dominant position in the Italian market for the provision of meal vouchers services, where the Company held approximately a 50% market share. The investigated conduct consisted of allegedly requiring large-scale retailers to use indirect interconnection systems provided by third-party providers for accepting electronic meal vouchers, imposing them unfavorable contractual conditions and passing on unjustified costs related to the meal voucher acceptance system. According to the ICA’s preliminary assessment, these practices, besides having allegedly harmed large-scale retailers, might harm consumers, both due to the risk that the higher costs may be passed on downstream, and in terms of a possible reduction in the breadth and variety of the meal voucher acceptance network.

Newsletter n. 117 – April 2026