The Commission's decision will enable the two companies to go ahead with total investments worth some 8.5 billion euros (7.45 billion pounds), the EU antitrust regulator said in a statement.

ASPI, the motorway unit of infrastructure group Atlantia, will benefit from the prolongation of the concession on its entire Italian network until 2042.

SIAS got the green light to manage the concession for the SATAP A4 motorway between the cities of Milan and Turin until 2030.

Italy has agreed to re-tender a number of major motorway concessions in the near future, the Commission also said.

(Reporting by Francesca Landini and Foo Yun Chee in Brussels)