The Competition Council has fined three companies by over RON 4.947 million (about EUR 1.1 million) for an agreement aimed at limiting the sale of TR2520A electricity measuring transducers on the territory of Romania, according to a press release issued by the institution.
The three companies sanctioned are: ARC Braşov (fined by RON 409,837.36); Dragonet Technologies Inc. USA (by RON 687,323.08) and GMC-I Messtechnik GmbH Germany (RON 3.85 million).
The Competition Council states that after the investigation initiated following the complaint filed by one of the companies that participated in the public procurement procedure organized by the Electrica Serv Maintenance and Power Services Branch, ARC Braşov SRL has confirmed the anticompetitive deed and consequently the fine was reduced by 15% of the base level.
The Competition Council has found that these three companies reached an understanding so that ARC Brasov, as buyer, would become the only source of supply with TR2520A electricity measuring transducers on the territory of Romania, as the suppliers Dranetz Technologies Inc. and GMC-I Messtechnik GmbH delivered exclusively these equipments for the public procurement procedure.
In this way, the three companies have eliminated the competition and have limited and controlled the sale of such equipments, the auction organizer having no alternative for acquiring the transducers.
In early January, six companies were fined by the Competition Council by RON 73 million (about EUR 15.8 million) for concluding two anti-competitive agreements on the market of meters and related equipment for measuring electricity.
The lowest fine was of RON 526,201, while the highest amount was of RON 27.423 million.