Italian collective agreements have played a significant role in Italy for a long time, at least as far as national agency agreements are concerned. In the case of a cross-border contract, such collective agreements usually only apply by explicit reference in the contract. If no reference is made to a specific collective agreement for commercial agents, the contract is governed exclusively by the statutory provisions.  Italian collective agreements are a useful supplement to the statutory provisions. Many provisions are of advantage for the commercial agent, for example, a minimum compensation claim is often granted even in  case the agent fails to acquire new customers. However, the calculation of the compensation claim is often disadvantageous for successful commercial agents in relation to the statutory regulation. Fortunately for the agent, it has already been clarified by the highest courts that the commercial agent can chose the calculation which favours him more in his specific case.