It is not just the general macroeconomic instability and the effects of the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East: both the wholesale market and regulated infrastructure have underlying issues that prevent healthy competition

Whilst the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) calls for the opening up of the national rail market, the government is postponing the tender process and risks further favouring the monopoly. Yet Italy’s experience with high-speed rail, like that of the Czech Republic and Sweden, shows that competition leads to more services, lower prices and greater investment