La regolazione tariffaria del Servizio Idrico Integrato tra ideologie e vincoli normativi

This article aims to analyse the main legal issues concerning the price-related regulation of the water service in Italy.The main focus of the paper are the complex administrative disputes related to the ‘temporary price-related method’ elaborated by the Italian Authority for Electricity, Gas and Water Services (AeegSi). More in details, the Author highlights some ‘key points’ for the future regulatory strategy of the water service established by the recent judgment of the Council of State, issued in May 26, 2017, n. 2481: the classification of the water service as a public service of economic interest; the separation between the political objectives of the 2011 referendum campaign promoted in Italy and the real regulatory constraints (and, among these, the fundamental ‘full cost recovery’ principle); finally, the correct interpretation of the concept of price-related ‘cost’ (including the costs related to the ‘equity capital’).