Rule reminder
In journalistic Italian: sebbene/benché + subjunctive for formal written style; nonostante + noun for brevity; pur + gerundio for same-subject concession; per quanto + subjunctive for 'however'. 'Anche se' + indicative appears in quotes and informal commentary.
«L'accordo commerciale fu ratificato _____ alcune clausole fossero state contestate dal Parlamento europeo.» (EU affairs report)