Cesare Rizza’s practice focuses on Italian and European Union competition law, including State aid law.

He appears frequently before the EU courts of law and Italian civil and administrative courts, as well as before the European Commission and the Italian Antitrust Authority (IAA). Cesare regularly lectures at conferences and is widely published in legal journals.

He joined the Brussels office in 1992 and became counsel in 2005. From 1997 to 2001 he worked at the Court of Justice of the European Communities in Luxembourg as legal secretary to late Italian Judge (formerly Advocate-General) A. La Pergola. In 2007 he acted as state aid law advisor for the EC Policy Department of the Office of the President of the Council of Ministers of Italy.

Cesare is currently the Chair of the Permanent Delegation to the Court of Justice and the General Court of the European Union and the EFTA Court, and a former Chair of the Competition Committee, of the Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe (CCBE).

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Publications

More Sustainability and Innovation and Fewer Antitrust Constraints – The EU Competition Mandate, La Repubblica, October 2024

“Illumina/GRAIL: ECJ Rules European Commission Lacks Jurisdiction to Review Merger Falling Below EU and National Merger Thresholds,” Cleary Gottlieb Alert Memo, September 5, 2024

“Chip, come rafforzare la sicurezza degli approvvigionamenti,” Milano Finanza, April 24, 2024.

“The Decarbonization of Aviation Starts in Europe: New Rules on Sustainable Fuels,” Il Sole24Ore, October 23, 2023.

“Article 2: Burden of Proof - Commentary” (co-author), Regulation 1/2003 and EU Antitrust Enforcement: A Systematic Guide, (Dekeyser et al. eds.), Alphen aan den Rijn, 2023, pp. 47-83.

“The State Aid Granted by the Region of Sardinia to Low-Cost Airlines Is Legitimate,” Il Sole24Ore, December 7, 2022.

“Sustainable Aviation Fuels: Ready for Take-off?,” Il Sole24Ore, October 13, 2022.

“Italian Competition Law Reform,” Cleary Gottlieb Alert Memo, August 16, 2022.

“Italy Adopts New Transparency Rules for Health Care Providers (Sunshine Act),” Cleary Gottlieb Alert Memo, July 13, 2022.

“A Completed Merger Cannot Be Considered as Part of an Abusive Strategy in the Framework of a Later Article 102 Decision” Cleary Antitrust Watch blog, April 6, 2022.

“Neodirigismo: Così l’estensione arbitraria del golden power ci allontana dal mercato unico,” Linkiesta, March 31, 2022.

“Aiuti di Stato ad Alitalia, ecco perché Bruxelles condannerà Roma - Corriere.it” (Corriere della Sera, April 26, 2021).

“Cartel leniency in Italy: overview” (with Giovanna Ciccioli; Thomson Reuters Practical Law, Dec. 1, 2020).

“L’‘insostenibile leggerezza’ del sindacato giurisdizionale sulle decisioni di politica monetaria della BCE” (with Mario Siragusa, Eurojus, May 26, 2020).

EU Commission Call for Contributions on ‘Competition Policy Supporting the Green Deal’,” Cleary Gottlieb Alert Memorandum, October 19, 2020.

“Covid e Concessioni Aeroportuali, il Caso Italiano,” Il Sole24Ore, August 5, 2020.

“EU White Paper on Levelling the Playing Field as Regards Foreign Subsidies,” Cleary Gottlieb Alert Memo, 2020.

“A New Instrument on the Market for the European Commission?,” Il Sole24Ore, May 11, 2020.

“Italy’s New Measures to Mitigate the Economic Effects of COVID-19,” Cleary Gottlieb Alert Memo, 2020.

“Amendment to the State Aid Temporary Framework to Support the Economy in the Context of the COVID-19 Outbreak,” Cleary Gottlieb Alert Memo, 2020.

“State Aid Temporary Framework to Support the Economy in the Context of the COVID-19 Outbreak,” Cleary Gottlieb Alert Memo, 2020.

“Disapplication of National Law Conflicting with EU Competition Rules: the Italian Competition Authority’s Decision-Making Practice,” Europäisches, deutsches und internationales Kartellrecht, Otto Schmidt, 2018.

“Violazione delle norme antitrust, sindacato giurisdizionale sull’esercizio del potere sanzionatorio da parte dell’autorità di concorrenza e diritto fondamentale a un equo processo” (co-author), Giur. comm., I, 2013, pp. 408-456.

“Leniency for companies that cooperate with the Commission’s investigation,” in M. Siragusa-C. Rizza (eds.), 3 EU Competition Law: Cartels and Collusive Behaviour (Claeys & Casteels, 2007; 2d ed. 2012), pp. 339-633.

Co-authored chapters on Italy in: Chambers Legal Practice Guide’s Competition: Merger Control 2014, Chambers & Partners, London; The International Comparative Legal Guide to Cartels & Leniency (Global Legal Group, 2008-2013); Getting the Deal Through—Private Antitrust Litigation (Law Business Research, 2003-2016); and Anti-Cartel Enforcement Worldwide, M. M. Dabbah and B. E. Hawk (eds.), Cambridge University Press, 2009.

“The Duty of National Competition Authorities to Disapply Anti-Competitive Domestic Legislation and the Resulting Limitations on the Availability of the State Action Defense (Case C-198/01 CIF),” Eur. Comp. L. Rev., 2004, pp. 126-131.

“The Financial Assistance Granted by Member States to Undertakings Entrusted with the Operation of a Service of General Economic Interest,” Columbia J. Eur. L. (2003), pp. 429-446, and A. Biondi et al. (eds.), The Law of State Aid in The European Union, Oxford University Press, 2003, pp. 67-84.

“Joint Ventures and Cooperation Between Undertakings” (co-author), 1 Competition Law of the European Community, vol. 1, § 6 (V. Korah ed., LexisNexis, 2d ed., 2003).

“La tensione fra regole di concorrenza comunitarie e regole professionali e deontologiche nazionali” (co-author), Giur. comm., 2003, II, pp. 5-40.

“The STE Colas Est and Others v. France case: European Court of Human Rights Judgment of April 16, 2002” (co-author), Eur. Comp. L. Rev., 2002, pp. 413-416.

“Postal Services and Competition Law: A Review and Analysis of the EC Case-Law” (co-author), World Comp., 2001, pp. 475-511.

“La posizione dominante collettiva nella giurisprudenza comunitaria,” in G. Ghidini et al. (eds.), Concorrenza e mercato. Rassegna degli orientamenti dell’Autorità Garante, Milano, 2000 (vol. 8), pp. 509-563.

“La sanzione delle violazioni da parte dei singoli di norme comunitarie dirette alla protezione degli interessi finanziari della Comunità nella giurisprudenza della Corte di giustizia,” in G. Grasso (ed.), La Lotta Contro la Frode Agli Interessi Finanziari Della Comunita Europea tra Prevenzione e Repressione, Milano, 2000, pp. 85-147.

“Tutela della concorrenza nella legge n. 287 del 1990: rapporti con l’ordinamento comunitario” (co-author), Giur. it., 1991, IV, 520.

“La normativa comunitaria sul controllo delle concentrazioni tra imprese alla luce delle disposizioni di attuazione del regolamento n. 4064/89 e dei recenti documenti interpretativi della Commissione,” Dir. comun. scambi intern., 1990, 4, p. 759, and Riv. Dir. Impresa, 1991.

Events