How Many Messages Make A Cartel? The Turkish Competition Board’s Eastern Anatolia Cement Decision

How Many Messages Make a Cartel?
The Turkish Competition Board’s Eastern Anatolia Cement Decision

On 15 October 2026, the Turkish Competition Authority (“TCA”) published the reasoned decision of its Competition Board (“Board”) concerning three cement producers operating in Eastern Anatolia¹. The Board found that Arkoz Madencilik Enerji Sanayi ve Ticaret AŞ (“Arkoz”), Limak Çimento Sanayi ve Ticaret AŞ (“Limak”) and Yurt Çimento Sanayi ve Ticaret AŞ (“Yurt Çimento”) had allocated customers and territories in the grey cement market in breach of Article 4 of Law No. 4054 on the Protection of Competition (“Law No. 4054”). It further found that Yurt Çimento had restricted the territories and customers to which its dealers could resell. The Board imposed administrative fines totalling TRY 206.6 million: TRY 25.4 million on Arkoz, TRY 117.6 million on Limak and TRY 63.6 million on Yurt Çimento, which was fined separately for each of its two infringements. Both findings were adopted by