The Competition Council carried out unannounced inspections at Enel Romania, both at the distribution companies in the group and at the supply companies. The company is suspected of abusing its dominant position, to the detriment of other retail suppliers and consumers. In practice, the distribution companies would have limited competition in the market by favoring their own electricity suppliers.
The inspections took place within the framework of three investigations regarding possible abuses of the dominant position of the electricity distribution operators within the Enel group, in the areas where they hold a license, according to a statement from the Council.
Basically, the competition authority has indications that the distributors E-Distribuție Muntenia, E-Distribuție Banat and E-Distribuție Dobrogea, through a series of actions, limit competition on the market, by favoring their own electricity suppliers, Enel Energie and Enel Energie Muntenia, to the detriment of other retail suppliers and consumers.
“We constantly monitor the activity of companies in a dominant position, they have a special responsibility regarding the behavior adopted in the relationship with partners, precisely because they enjoy a special position on the market. We are interested in the behavior of companies in the energy sector, especially in the context in which, in recent years, the Romanian state has adopted measures to open up the markets in this sector to competition,” said Bogdan Chirițoiu, president of the Competition Council.
“We will intervene and sanction any attempt to distort the liberalization process, in the interest of the dominant company or some companies within the group, because it affects the interests of consumers“, he added.
The inspections were carried out at the headquarters and some workplaces of the companies in Bucharest, Constanța and Timișoara, and the documents are under analysis by the Romanian competition authority.
The unannounced inspections are authorized by the Bucharest Court of Appeal and are justified by the need to obtain all the information and documents necessary to clarify the possible anti-competitive practices analyzed. Making them does not represent a pre-pronouncement regarding the guilt of the companies.
Enel confirmed the checks, pledging it will cooperate with the competent authority in this case.
“The Competition Council carried out an unannounced inspection of some Enel group companies in Romania. Enel companies pay particular attention to compliance with competition legislation, they operate with transparency, non-discrimination and respect for customers, and during the inspection they fully cooperated with the competent authority, providing all the requested documents and information,” reads an Enel press release sent to our editorial office.
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