Volvo Romania, the sole importer of new, medium and heavy Renault trucks in the Romanian market, was fined more than 13 million lei (approximately €2.65 million) because it agreed with distributors in its network not to sell this type of truck. outside the territory of Romania, the Competition Council announced on Wednesday.

• “Following an investigation, the antimonopoly authority established that Volvo Romania SRL and distributors in its selective distribution network agreed on the territory in which they could resell new, medium and heavy trucks of the Renault brand. Therefore, they decided not to sell this type of truck outside of Romania.
• Market sharing agreements were foreseen and implemented through the clauses of the contracts agreed and signed by Volvo Romania with the distributors. Thanks to these agreements, companies no longer competed with each other, customers had no choice, thus affecting competition at the national level, as well as trade between member states,” the agency said in a statement.

Volvo Romania admitted to violating the competition law and, as a result, took advantage of the reduction in the amount of the fine, – the Competition Council also says.

Volvo Romania SRL, a member of the Volvo Group, is the successor to Renault Trucks Romania SRL, with which it merged in 2013. Volvo Romania SRL is the sole importer of new, medium and heavy Renault trucks in the Romanian market.

The investigation was triggered by a plea in mitigation filed by a distributor who was granted immunity from fines for cooperating with the competition agency as part of a mitigation program.

The leniency policy is a tool by which the Competition Council can apply favorable treatment to companies that participate in a cartel agreement and cooperate with the competition authority to detect and sanction such anti-competitive practices.

The policy of leniency is a concept taken from international practice, where its use has proven to be an effective tool in the fight against cartels.

The Competition Council urges companies involved in such anti-competitive agreements to apply to the competition authority, admit their involvement in the infringement and provide evidence of said agreement. As a result, companies can benefit from significantly reduced fines or even complete immunity.

The Competition Law prohibits any arrangement or agreement between companies that restricts or distorts competition in the Romanian market.

Decisions of the Competition Council are subject to execution, and imposed fines are income to the state budget. The National Agency for Tax Administration (ANAF) implements the decision of the antimonopoly authority on the application of sanctions and enforces fines.

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