CARTELS: AMO initiated an administrative proceeding regarding a possible cartel agreement between entrepreneurs in the field of medicines supply and distribution
On 18 June 2024 the Antimonopoly Office of the Slovak Republic (AMO) initiated an administrative proceeding in the matter of a possible agreement restricting competition, concluded between entrepreneurs operating in the supply and wholesale distribution market of medicines. In the initiated administrative proceeding, AMO applies also the Article 101 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, according to which agreements restricting competition that may affect trade between member states are assessed.
As a part of investigation in this matter, AMO had conducted unannounced inspections1. Based on the conducted investigation, it had obtained documentation and information indicating that at least two entrepreneurs operating in the field of supply and distribution of medicines had coordinated their procedure during submitting bids in public procurements, cooperated in determining prices and allocating the market and customers, exchanged sensitive information, too.
In the given case, it may be a horizontal agreement between direct competitors, which is one of the most serious infringements of competition rules and is considered a hard-core cartel.
Initiating an administrative proceeding does not imply that participants to the proceeding have infringed competition rules, nor does it prejudge conclusions that AMO may reach in its decision.
1 AMO informed about the inspections by its press release (available in Slovak).