Competition Authority Battles Non-cooperative Competitors

The Office for the Protection of Competition recently issued two press releases¹ in which it confirmed one fine and imposed another on non-cooperative competitors, the first for an obstruction during a dawn raid and the second for not replying to a request for information.

Obstruction during dawn raid

The chair of the office dismissed an appeal by EGEM sro against a Kc2.36 million (€90,075) fine for obstructing a raid. The fine was imposed in September 2019, following an on-site investigation at the company's premises, during which EGEM promised to ask its managing director to be present in person together with his work electronic devices, which were supposed to be screened by the office. The office further stated that the managing director's no-show influenced the flow of the investigation and its purpose.