Sofia, September 25, 2025 – Bulgaria’s Commission for Protection of Competition (CPC) is planning to launch sectoral analyses in the telecommunications and financial services markets, as part of a broader effort to identify and address structural distortions across the economy.
CPC chair Rossen Karadimov announced the new studies in a televised interview with bTV, stressing that the regulator is uniquely empowered to examine the entire supply chain—from producers to retailers—pinpoint weaknesses, and recommend legal reforms to strengthen fair competition.
The move follows sector studies already underway in essential food and pharmaceutical markets. Karadimov noted that early results from the food analysis, covering June through August, show that prices for basic products in large retail chains have remained stable. However, these retail prices still reflect markups of 50–100% over wholesale exchange prices—well above the European average of 30–35%.
He emphasized that such distortions are not linked to Bulgaria’s Euro adoption process but stem from structural deficiencies, including the lack of agricultural cooperatives and weak domestic production capacity. Data from the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria has also been integrated into the CPC’s monitoring efforts.
Karadimov further highlighted proposed amendments to Bulgaria’s Competition Protection Act, which are aligned with recommendations from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). These changes are expected to strengthen the regulator’s effectiveness and tighten enforcement powers.
“The proposed amendments fully reflect the OECD’s recommendations,” Karadimov said. “They will make the Commission’s work more effective and allow us to better protect fair competition in Bulgaria’s economy.”
Source: https://www.cpc.bg/news-442
