Bucharest, December 17, 2025 — Romania’s competition authority has fined Philip Morris Trading SRL, Interbrands Orbico SRL, and Mediaposte Hit Mail SA a combined RON 135.2 million (approximately $31.2 million) for participating in anticompetitive agreements in the market for heated tobacco products.
According to the Competition Council, the companies engaged in resale price maintenance arrangements involving IQOS heated tobacco products, restricting distributors’ ability to independently set retail prices and promotional discounts.
The fines were imposed as follows:
- Philip Morris Trading SRL: RON 78.7 million
- Interbrands Orbico SRL: RON 52.1 million
- Mediaposte Hit Mail SA: RON 4.45 million
Price And Promotion Controls
Following its investigation, the authority found that Philip Morris had concluded separate agreements with Interbrands Orbico and Mediaposte Hit Mail aimed at fixing resale prices for IQOS products. The arrangements covered both the prices charged to consumers and the level of discounts applied in promotional campaigns.
Under the agreements, Interbrands Orbico applied discounts at IQOS-branded kiosks, while Mediaposte Hit Mail implemented promotions through the iqos.ro website. In both cases, promotional campaigns could only be carried out with the prior approval of Philip Morris, effectively limiting distributors’ commercial autonomy.
Competition Concerns
“Each company must independently determine its commercial policy, not through agreements with its partners,” said Bogdan Chirițoiu, president of the Competition Council. “By fixing resale prices and setting discount levels, the freedom of commercial partners to set their own prices was restricted, which ultimately harms consumers.”
The authority emphasized that such practices reduce price competition and undermine consumer choice, in breach of Romania’s competition law.
Leniency And Enforcement
Interbrands Orbico admitted to the infringement and benefited from a reduction in its fine as a result of its cooperation with the authority.
The Competition Council noted that Romanian law prohibits agreements and concerted practices that restrict, distort or prevent competition, particularly those involving direct or indirect price setting or trading conditions.
The decisions are immediately enforceable, with the fines constituting revenue for the state budget. The National Agency for Fiscal Administration (ANAF) is responsible for enforcing payment.
Source: https://www.consiliulconcurentei.ro/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Amenzi-tutun-incalzit-Dec-2025.pdf
