OREANDA-NEWS. Eni met with representatives of Consumer Associations of the National Council for Users and Consumers (CNCU) to present a survey on Consumer Satisfaction, along with research on fuel prices in Italy, conducted for Eni by IPSOS and Nomisma Energia. The conference was opened by Eni's Director of International Relations and Communications, Stefano Lucchini and Eni's R&M General Manager, Angelo Fanelli, also spoke on market scenarios for fuels in the industry.

The event took place at the National Museum of Rome Palazzo Massimo, where the magnificent statue “The Boxer at rest” is housed. The statue was exhibited by Eni in the U.S. for the Year of Italian Culture in the United States, and has been displayed in private for the first time to representatives of Consumer Associations.

Culture has always been a distinguishing feature of Eni's approach. This event was the first in a series of meetings organised by Eni with Consumer Associations that aim to establish an on-going comparison and dialogue forums at cultural centres in Italy. The Consumer Associations have responded positively, welcoming the proposal and seeing it as a way to improve relations with businesses and also as a way to promote the artistic heritage of the country.

Two market surveys were presented during the event. The first, conducted by IPSOS, sought to determine the perception of and satisfaction with Eni among the Consumer Associations. The other, carried out by Nomisma Energia, focused on the issue of petrol prices.

The IPSOS survey was carried out in the first half of 2013 and incorporated interviews with 29 energy presidents, national secretaries and managers of the Consumer Associations, and 228 regional representatives based across the country. The Associations' rated their relations with Eni positively: on a scale of 1 to 10, (from not at all satisfactory to entirely satisfactory) 46% of votes were between 6 and 10. The perception of Eni was 12 percentage points higher than the average perception of the other companies analysed.

The Nomisma Energia survey investigated increased prices in the fuel market. The research indicates that as well as international prices, national and regional tax increases are responsible for the trend. In fact, in the first half of 2013 no less than eight regions boosted their revenue with an extra levy on petrol consumption, compared with five regions in 2008. Petrol pump prices increased 52 cents per litre from 2009 to the first half of 2013, 51% of this rise was due to increased taxation (excise duties plus VAT) while 44% was caused by higher international prices. A similar trend was also seen with diesel. Another factor that affects pricing, according to Nomisma Energia, is the lack of restructuring and consolidation of points of sale. With over 22,500 outlets, Italy has more points of sale than any other country in Europe: 8,000 more than Germany and 14,000 more than the United Kingdom. The lower efficiency is due to the high number of service stations, which leads to higher costs.

The conference closed with a commitment to jointly carry out information campaigns for consumer rights, safety and sustainable consumption, with particular attention on energy saving.