Kritiek van EU op Italiaanse protectie Alitalia (en)

The EU on Monday (9 August) criticised Italy for ordering European airlines to stop undercutting its struggling Alitalia on long-haul routes from Rome.

"Restricting prices is against the spirit of the internal market," said European Commission spokesman Stefaan de Rynck.

However, there is not much the EU can do about it as Rome's move appears to be covered by old bilateral treaties.

"There isn't actually any European basis which allows us to act", said Mr de Rynck.

He added that the Commission was sending out letters to all the member states to determine exactly what the situation is.

The move follows a complaint by British Airways to the Brussels executive saying that the move by Italy was unfair.

The fact that the struggling Italian carrier also got a 399 million euro rescue package - approved by the EU last month - has also irritated other airlines, which feel that it goes against the bloc's internal market rules.

Italian aviation agency Enac said it was fully within its right to prevent foreign companies from undercutting Alitalia prices on certain routes.

It said that the request was made to 40 airlines, but that only the UK's BA refused to comply.

"The Enac authority ordered them to raise their tariffs, and this step was taken in agreement with the EU," agency chairman Vito Riggio said, according to the BBC.

Competition between EU carriers on flights within the EU is unrestricted under single market rules, but the flights in question involved routes from Rome to New York.