Vilnius, November 6, 2025 — The Lithuanian Competition Council has fined fuel retailer Emsi a total of €1,022,170 (approximately $1.17 million) for acquiring control of four petrol stations without securing prior merger approval.
The authority found that Emsi breached the Competition Act by taking control of two stations through lease agreements and purchasing two others without notifying or obtaining prior approval from the regulator. The company was ordered to end the infringement within three months by either filing the necessary merger notifications or reversing the transactions.
According to the findings, Emsi expanded its network in 2024 by leasing two petrol stations in Kaunas from its related company Antira and later acquiring two more in Vilnius and the nearby district of Maišiagala. The council said both the leasing and purchase agreements qualified as mergers under Lithuanian competition law because each station represented an independent business unit generating economic value.
The regulator noted that both Emsi and the acquired stations exceeded the turnover thresholds requiring pre-merger notification — €2 million in Lithuania for each party and a combined €20 million globally. Emsi had been reminded of its obligations but ignored the authority’s guidance.
Competition Council Chair Jolanta Ivanauskienė said merger control is a key tool for preserving effective market competition.
“When assessing proposed transactions, our experts evaluate whether a concentration could significantly reduce competition in the market,” Ivanauskienė said. “Negative effects could arise even from the acquisition of a single petrol station, since such stations typically compete within relatively small geographic areas.”
Emsi received two separate fines — €545,160 and €477,010 — representing less than 0.3% of the group’s global annual turnover for 2024. The council also dropped proceedings against Antira, finding no violation.
The decision may be appealed to the Regional Administrative Court within one month of its publication on the council’s website.
