Dear Readers,
At first glance, the first full enforcement week of 2026 looked deceptively calm. In reality, authorities across multiple jurisdictions were quietly but decisively active, delivering a series of fining decisions, settlements, and merger remedies that underscore how little the global competition enforcement machine has slowed.
The week was marked by a cluster of resale price maintenance and vertical cases, including a Polish RPM fine and settlements in Angola and at COMESA level. Turkey stood out in particular, issuing two fining decisions in the same week against the same economic group, with Koruma Klor Alkali sanctioned for abuse of dominance while related entities were fined in a separate bid-rigging case — a rare and telling enforcement coincidence.
In litigation, Latvia finally closed an eleven-year legal saga with the confirmation of fines against Kia Auto, bringing long-running uncertainty to an end. Meanwhile, merger control authorities remained active behind the scenes, with settlements, divestment confirmations, and divestment orders emerging in jurisdictions ranging from Chile to Austria and Australia.
What appeared to be a quiet start to the year was anything but.
As ever, thank you for reading.
Sylwester Frazzoni
Managing Editor
Below is a selection of the most significant developments published during the last week.
Fines & Settlements
- Poland fined bathroom products distributor Oltens and two managers for imposing minimum online RPMs.
- Turkey imposed approximately USD 7.75 million in fines on five undertakings for bid-rigging in public procurement, while separately fining Koruma Klor Alkali around USD 3.8 million for predatory pricing — with the same company group appearing in two infringement decisions in a single week.
- Angola concluded an RPM investigation through a settlement, with beverage distributor Luanday agreeing to pay an USD 864,000 fine.
- The COMESA Competition Commission settled its probe into Castel Group’s exclusivity arrangements, securing contract changes and a USD 600,000 payment without an admission of liability.
- Czechia reimposed fines of roughly USD 535,000 on companies involved in a Prague airport taxi cartel following a rehearing.
Litigation & Appeals
- Latvia’s Supreme Court declined to hear a final appeal in the Kia Auto case, bringing an 11-year legal battle to a definitive close and confirming the authority’s 2014 fining decision.
- In India, the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal upheld the CCI’s bid-rigging finding in a public welfare procurement case, confirming the underlying fine.
- Separately, Latvia’s competition authority warned that a recent Supreme Court ruling in a construction cartel case could undermine cooperation between enforcement bodies, raising broader enforcement concerns.
Merger Control & Remedies
- Chile’s competition authority reached a USD 1.2 million settlement over alleged submission of false information in merger filings, underscoring procedural enforcement risks.
- Australia ordered WiseTech Global to divest the Expedient logistics software business following merger concerns, adding to the growing list of post-closing divestment remedies.
- Paraguay’s court upheld the blocking of a meat processor merger, reinforcing judicial backing for merger prohibitions.
Investigations
- Italy opened an abuse of dominance probe into A2A over electric vehicle charging services.
- India’s CCI ordered a formal investigation after finding a prima facie infringement.
View all 33 last week’s news stories here.
