The Italia Cloud Consortium, a body that brings together Italian companies active in the Cloud services market, joins the criticisms leveled across the European Parliament following the questionable appointment of Fiona Scott Morton to the role of chief economist of DGCOMP, the European antitrust authority that protects competition in strategic sectors, including digital ones and in particular the Cloud.
“The appointment of Fiona Scott Morton as chief economist of the Directorate General for Competition appears to us to be an inappropriate and harmful choice for the interests of Italy and Europe,” he declared Michele Zunino, president of the Italia Cloud Consortium. "We are faced with a great professional who, however, has recently worked as a consultant for large American technology companies which are the subject of investigations and sanctions by the DGCOMP itself for their anti-competitive practices. This could represent a clear conflict of interest and a threat to the sovereignty and competitiveness of European industry", continued Zunino.
"It is surprising that a non-European figure was chosen who has no experience in the regulatory and institutional context in which he will have to operate. On the contrary, it appears that he has expressed positions in favor of Big Tech and against effective and binding regulation of the digital sector. All this is happening precisely at a time when the regulation of GAFAM is becoming more binding with the implementation of the Digital Market Act and the Digital Service Act. We believe that this is a crucial issue for the future of Europe, which cannot afford to give up control of its competition policy to the interests of the major American lobbies".
The Authority pursues by mandate the objective of defending EU interests against monopoly practices and unfair competition by non-European private organizations, and has a long history of disputes, provisions and sanctions, including millions in amounts, against various American giants. "As noted by President Macron, we too ask ourselves if there really wasn't a professional figure at least as competent to be found in 27 European countries: if that were the case, it would be serious. Since we believe in our skills, we need to close ranks more to defend our digital assets, from tangible ones such as infrastructure to intangible ones such as knowledge", concluded the president of the Italia Cloud Consortium.
