| Decision 591/2014 | |
|---|---|
| File (PDF) | Decision 591/2014 |
| Date of Publication of Decision | September 24th , 2014 |
| Issue Number of Government Bulletin | |
| Relevant Market |
Market of Dental Services and Products |
| Subject of the Decision |
Anti-competitive Decision of an Association of Undertakings |
| Legal Framework |
Article 1 L. 3959/2015 |
| Operative part of the Decision |
Finding an infringement |
| Complainant(s) |
Ex-officio investigation |
| Respondent(s) |
Association of Dental Technicians of Crete |
| Summary of Decision |
The Hellenic Competition Commission found, by its unanimous decision, that the Association of Dental Technicians of Crete infringed Article 1 of former L. 703/1977 (current article 1 L. 3959/2011), as it adopted decisions aiming at the direct or indirect fixing of minimum fees for its members, through (a) the inclusion of specific provisions in the Statute of the Association for the period 1988 to the date of adoption of this decision, and (b) the adoption and notification of price lists with minimum fees to its members for the period 2001 to 2010. According to the decision, these actions demonstrate the clear and consistent intention of the association to coordinate the pricing policies of its members, in violation of existing national anti-trust provisions. For this infringement, the HCC imposed on the Association of Dental Technicians of Crete a symbolic fine (calculated on the association’s turnover, due to lack of financial data on the turnover of its members). In addition, the HCC ordered the Association a) to eliminate from its statute the anti-competitive clauses, b) to inform in written form all dentists and dental technicians that fees are to be decided independently by them and c) to publish the press release of the HCC in local newspapers of the prefectures of Heraklion and Lassithi, where the infringement took place. |
| Judicial Means | Final. No appeal. |
| Decisions by the Court of Appeal of Athens (Administrative Division) | - |
