Milder anti-competitive sanctions for companies in Romania that admit guilt

Romania’s Competition Council will impose milder sanctions on companies that admit to anti-competitive behavior during the council’s investigations, according to a new Emergency Ordinance the Government approved on June 30. Until now, companies have been able to acknowledge their guilt only when the investigation was completed. The companies that affirm their anti-competitive behavior can benefit from a 10% to 30% reduction of the normal fines for their actions. The new Emergency Ordinance also allows the Competition Council to carry out unannounced inspections to the companies’ work points. However, it needs to have a court approval for this. If the court doesn’t grant the approval, the Competition Council can challenge the decision within 72 hours. editor@romania-insider.com