Romanian Competition Council gives EUR 12 mln fines on anti-competitive buy back campaigns

The Competition Council has fined 14 companies active in the electronics sector and members of ROREC and ECOTIC associations in Romania, with total fines of RON 56.4 million (some EUR 12.7 million) for concluding anticompetitive agreements under buy-back campaigns. “The sanctions have been applied during the investigation into the markets of electrical and electronic equipment trading, and their waste management,” reads a statement of the Competition Council. Eight companies, all members of the ROREC association, were fined with a total of EUR 10.8 million. The eight companies are Arctic, BSH Electrocasnice, Candy Hoover Romania, Electrolux Romania, Gorenje Romania, Indesit Company Magyarorszag, Philips Romania and Whirlpool Romania. The largest fine of RON 24 million (some EUR 5.4 million) was given to household appliance producer Arctic. During the same investigation, another six companies, namely Agis Computer, CG&GC Intelligent Technology, Gemini SP, Maguay Impex, Panasonic Marketing Europe GmbH and Scop Computers received total fines of EUR 1.9 million. The six companies are members of the ECOTIC association in Romania. ROREC is a non-profit organization that brings together the leading manufacturers and importers of electronics in Romania, which hold over 70 percent of the market. The association was created in order to take over producers’ responsibility and carries out all activities required for collection, treatment, re-use, recycling, and recovery of waste of electric and electronic equipment. ECOTIC is also a non-profit organization created to take over responsibility of the producers and importers of electrical and electronic equipment for the annual collection, reuse, recycling and recovery target of electrical and electronic equipment waste. Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com