The Italian Consiglio di Stato recognises the existence of a de facto leniency program in the national competition law system

Decision of 18 June 2004 n° 6760/04 of the Consiglio di Stato In a decision published in December 2004, the Italian Consiglio di Stato (the competent court for appeals over first instance administrative court decisions) ruled over the de facto possibility to benefit in Italy of a leniency program, in line with the one provided for at European level. With this decision, the Consiglio di Stato finally settled a seven years long dispute started with a decision of the Italian Antitrust Authority