On 18 September 2014 the Gazdasági Versenyhivatal (GVH – Hungarian Competition Authority) launched a competition supervision procedure against ALCUFER Ipari Kereskedelmi és Szolgáltató Korlátolt Felelősségű Társaság, FE-GROUP INVEST Vagyonkezelő, Tanácsadó és Nagykereskedelmi Zrt., SELECTOR Elektronikai Termék Újrahasznosító Kft., and Elektronikai Hulladékhasznosító Kft. The investigation was initiated with an unannounced inspection held by the GVH at the seats and premises of the undertakings under investigation.

The GVH presumes that the practices of the above mentioned undertakings were unlawful as they entered into anti-competitive agreements amounting to a collusion and information sharing as of 2012, in order to fix prices, coordinate the actual bids and also to carry out bid-rigging in respect of public procurement procedures issued by the Országos Hulladékgazdálkodási Ügynökség Nonprofit Kft. on the annual collection, transportation and transfer of waste with special focus on electric appliances and electronic equipment resulting from products subject to environmental product fee charges.

The GVH suspects that the undertakings under investigation have presumably violated, by the above-mentioned conducts, the provisions of the Hungarian Competition Act with regard to the prohibition of restrictive agreements.

The unannounced inspection of the GVH is ensured in the Hungarian Competition Act. According to the provisions of the Hungarian Competition Act the inspection requires prior judicial consent.

The initiation of the competition supervision proceeding does not mean that the undertakings in question have actually committed the infringement. The proceeding seeks to clarify the facts and to prove that the presumed infringement has been committed. According to the Act these proceedings must be closed within 6 months, however, this time limit can be extended two times by a further 6 months, depending on the complexity of the case.

Case number: Vj-67/2014.

Budapest, 19 September 2014

Hungarian Competition Authority

Further information:
Katalin GONDOLOVICS
spokeswoman
Hungarian Competition Authority
Mail: 1054 Budapest, V. ker. Alkotmány u.5.
Postal address: 1245 Budapest, 5. POB 1036
Tel: (+36-1) 472-8902
Email: press@gvh.hu
http://www.gvh.hu

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