South Korea Fines Seven Flour Millers Record $490 Million for Six-Year Price-Fixing Cartel
South Korea’s competition watchdog has imposed a record ₩671 billion ($490 million) in fines on seven flour manufacturers after uncovering a long-running cartel that coordinated prices and supply volumes in the country’s flour market for nearly six years. The Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) said the companies colluded between November 2019 and October 2025 to…
Read MoreSpain Closes Competition Probe Into Naturgy Distributor Over Alleged Discrimination Against Rival Suppliers
Spain’s competition authority has closed an investigation into electricity distributor UFD Distribución Electricidad and its parent companies after finding insufficient evidence that the company discriminated against rival energy suppliers in the handling of technical incidents. The decision by the National Commission on Markets and Competition (CNMC) brings to an end one of two proceedings launched…
Read MoreLatvian Competition Authority Reviews Forum Cinemas’ Planned Takeover of Cinamon Cinema Site in Riga
Latvia’s competition authority has begun reviewing a proposed transaction that would see cinema operator Forum Cinemas take over the lease of premises currently occupied by rival chain Cinamon at the Akropole Alfa shopping centre in Riga. The Competition Council of Latvia (KP) announced that it received a merger notification on 7 May from the Latvian…
Read MoreSwedish Appeals Court Upholds Competition Authority’s First Unilateral Merger Review Extension
Sweden’s highest specialist competition court has upheld a decision by the Swedish Competition Authority to extend the timetable for an in-depth merger investigation without the consent of the parties, confirming for the first time the authority’s power to prolong a review where a merger notification contains significant deficiencies. The ruling relates to the proposed acquisition…
Read MoreSlovak Office Issues Guidance on Claims of Inability to Pay Competition Fines
The Slovak Antimonopoly Office (AMO) has published new guidance setting out how companies can apply for reductions in competition fines on the grounds that they are unable to pay, in a move aimed at increasing transparency and legal certainty for businesses. The guidance, released on May 19, explains the authority’s approach to conducting an “inability…
Read MoreRomanian Competition Council Raids Electric School Minibus Suppliers in Bid-Rigging Probe
Romania’s competition authority has launched an investigation into the market for electric school minibuses, carrying out unannounced inspections at the premises of three suppliers amid suspicions of bid-rigging in public tenders financed through the country’s post-pandemic recovery programme. The dawn raids were conducted by the Romanian Competition Council at the offices of Aveuro Internațional SRL,…
Read MoreBulgarian Competition Authority Finds No Anti-Competitive Barriers to Entry in Road and Railway Construction Market
Bulgaria’s competition watchdog has concluded a preliminary investigation into potential barriers to entry in the road and railway construction sector, finding no evidence that existing legal requirements create anti-competitive obstacles for companies seeking to participate in major infrastructure projects. The study, conducted by the Commission for Protection of Competition (CPC), was launched following complaints from…
Read MoreUS DOJ Indicts Four Major Container Manufacturers and Seven Executives Over Alleged Global Price-Fixing Cartel
The U.S. Department of Justice has indicted four of the world’s largest shipping container manufacturers and seven senior executives for allegedly conspiring to restrict output and fix prices in the global market for standard dry shipping containers, a scheme prosecutors say affected billions of dollars in commerce and contributed to sharp price increases during the…
Read MoreLatvian Parliament Expands Competition Authority Access to Intelligence Evidence in Cartel Cases
May 15, 2026 — Latvia’s parliament has approved amendments to the Operational Activities Law that will strengthen the country’s ability to detect and prosecute cartels by allowing competition authorities greater access to information gathered through intelligence and surveillance activities. The amendments, adopted by the Saeima on May 14, clarify the circumstances under which information obtained…
Read MoreTurkish Competition Authority Opens Investigation Into Unilever and Magnum Ice Cream Practices
May 15, 2026 — Turkey’s competition authority has opened a formal investigation into Unilever Sanayi ve Ticaret Türk AŞ and Magnum Dondurma AŞ over suspected antitrust violations in the industrial ice cream market and alleged non-compliance with a previous Competition Board remedy. The Turkish Competition Authority said the investigation follows a preliminary review into whether…
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