EU criticises Italy's protection of Alitalia

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...