“In 2013 the percentage of irrevocable court rulings in favor of the Competition Council stood at 93%, down one percentage point compared to 2012 and up five percentage points compared to 2011, while definitive court rulings were in favor of the Competition Council 82% of the time, down 12 percentage points compared to 2012 and down 7 percentage points compared to 2011,” the report notes.
Among the biggest cases involving the antitrust authority in 2013 were the cartel that withdrew Eco Premium fuel from the market, an investigation the authority completed in 2011 and contested by ENI, MOL, OMV-Petrom, Lukoil, OMV Petrom Marketing, and Rompetrol, and the dominant position on the telecom market of operators Orange and Vodafone, investigation also completed in 2011.
Court rulings sustained the fines applied by the antitrust authority in 64% of the cases, up 12 percentage points compared to 2012 and down 13 percentage points compared to 2011. The Competition Council issued fines totaling around EUR20 million last year.