Athens, November 7, 2025 – The Hellenic Competition Commission (HCC) has clarified key amendments to Law 3959/2011 on the Protection of Free Competition, aimed at modernising Greece’s merger control system, strengthening the authority’s sanctioning powers, and enhancing its use of digital tools. The changes are part of a draft bill tabled by the Ministry of Development.
Alignment with EU Merger Rules
The most significant amendment removes the 30-day deadline for notifying mergers once an agreement is signed. The HCC said this change aligns Greek law with EU Regulation 139/2004 and the practice in most EU member states, which do not impose a fixed notification period.
The obligation to notify mergers meeting the legal thresholds remains unchanged, as do the suspension requirement and the authority’s decision-making timelines. The reform also clarifies that statutory time limits for assessment will begin only once the notification form has been fully and correctly completed.
Expanded Powers and Technological Tools
The draft bill also clarifies the HCC’s sanctioning powers for procedural violations, in line with EU Directive 2019/1 (ECN+). The authority will be able to impose fines of up to 1% of a company’s global turnover for failure to provide information or obstruction of on-site inspections.
In addition, the HCC will gain explicit authority to use advanced technological tools such as data mining and artificial intelligence, and to connect with public and private databases. The reform grants the agency full access to Greece’s public procurement system (ESIDIS) to detect and combat bid rigging in public tenders.
Clarification on Competition Fee and New Training Provisions
The amendments further clarify the basis for calculating the 0.1% fee payable to support the HCC, specifying that exemptions from other public levies do not apply. The HCC noted that this fee has existed since 2000 and remains its primary funding source.
The bill also introduces the possibility for paid internships for students and trainee lawyers within the HCC, mirroring arrangements at other public bodies and independent authorities, to help attract new scientific talent.
