Italy: Opened consultation on Booking's commitments addressing AGCM allegations of abuse of dominant position

On 8 August 2024, the Italian Competition Authority (AGCM) opened a public consultation on the commitments submitted by Booking addressing allegations of abuse of its dominant position until 13 September 2024. The commitments were proposed in response to an investigation initiated in March 2024 concerning allegations of abuse of a dominant position in the online hotel intermediation services market. Booking was accused of attempting to exclude other Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) by leveraging its market power to limit the autonomy of Italian hotels in setting their rates across different online sales channels. The commitments aim to ensure that accommodation facilities' pricing on platforms other than Booking is not considered in the operation and promotion of specific programmes that allegedly gave Booking undue competitive advantages. The AGCM will decide whether to accept these commitments after considering comments from interested third parties.