Romania’s Competition Council has fined Agrana Sales & Marketing GmbH, Agrana România SRL and Lucsor Impex SRL a combined RON 52.09 million (EUR 10 million) for an anti-competitive agreement to fix sugar prices on the Romanian market.

Agrana Sales & Marketing GmbH and Agrana România, which the authority considers a single economic unit, were fined RON 42.18 million, while Lucsor Impex was fined RON 9.91 million, Economica.net reported.

Following an investigation, the Competition Council found that the companies had agreed on the selling prices of sugar in Romania. The arrangement involved setting the value of individual components of Lucsor Impex’s selling price, including its commercial margin, which should have been determined independently.

As a result, the selling prices charged by Lucsor Impex to its customers followed the same trend as prices charged by Agrana, the authority said.

The Competition Council concluded that the agreement was intended to increase or at least maintain sugar prices in Romania above the levels that would have resulted from normal competitive conditions.

Agrana Sales & Marketing GmbH and Agrana România admitted the infringement of Romania’s Competition Law and received reductions in their fines as a result.

The Competition Council said the investigation also examined Pfeifer & Langen Romania SRL. However, the authority closed the proceedings against the company after finding insufficient evidence of a breach that would justify sanctions or other measures.

Agrana is one of the major sugar producers operating in Romania and is part of Austria-based Agrana Beteiligungs-AG. The Romanian market has been subject to heightened scrutiny over food prices and competition, particularly amid periods of elevated inflation and pressure on household purchasing power.

The latest sanctions follow the Competition Council’s efforts to investigate agreements that may have restricted competition by influencing retail or wholesale prices. The authority’s findings concern the conduct of the companies during the period covered by its investigation.

iulian@romania-insider.com

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