June’s anti‑telemarketing rule for energy services falls short, prompting authorities to plan tougher, collaborative enforcement
Executive summary: The June 2026 regulation intended to stop illicit telemarketing in the energy sector has failed to reduce complaints, with illegal calls persisting. Continued illicit calls erode consumer trust, harm legitimate energy suppliers, and reveal limits of current telemarketing oversight.
Who is involved: Italian energy consumers, telemarketing operators, the Authority for Electricity Gas and Environment (ARERA), and consumer advocacy groups.
Likely next: Authorities plan to roll out stricter consent‑verification tools, possible blacklists for repeat offenders, and industry‑led self‑regulation initiatives.
The regulation introduced on 19 June 2026 to ban illicit telemarketing in the energy sector has not reduced complaints, indicating a compliance gap. Authorities acknowledge the shortfall and are preparing measures that rely on closer cooperation with operators, including both incentives and penalties. The situation highlights the difficulty of curbing aggressive sales tactics through legislation alone and suggests a shift toward hybrid regulatory‑industry approaches.
Timeline
- — Not cool: the air conditioning scams offering fake deals in the heatwave (The Guardian — Business)
- — Il telemarketing illecito continua: perché la tagliola di giugno è fallita e quali soluzioni ci sono (la Repubblica — Economia)
Analysis — what this means
Likely next events
- Rollout of a new consent‑verification platform by ARERA in Q4 2026
Sectors affected
- Energy retail
- Telemarketing services
- Consumer protection
Regulatory implications
- Stricter opt‑in requirements for energy‑related calls
- Enhanced monitoring and penalties for non‑compliant call centers
Historical parallels
- 2021 EU ban on cold‑calling for financial products
- 2020 GDPR‑driven telemarketing consent reforms in Germany
- 2019 Italian AGCOM action against illegal robocalls
Sources
- Il telemarketing illecito continua: perché la tagliola di giugno è fallita e quali soluzioni ci sono — la Repubblica — Economia
- Not cool: the air conditioning scams offering fake deals in the heatwave — The Guardian — Business