Competition protection

The activity of the Law Office, in relation to the right of protection the competition, includes the provision of a wide range of services, including:

• Procedural representation before the Commission for Protection of Competition (CPC) and before the Administrative Supreme Court. The Law Office represents its clients in all types of proceedings under the Protection of Competition Act:
  • cartel agreements;
  • dominant position abuses;
  • abuse of a stronger position when negotiating;
  • unfair competition;
  • authorization of concentrations between undertakings;
  • assistance to clients during unannounced inspections by the CPC.
• Consultancy services: preparing preliminary and follow-up legal opinions, analyzes and recommendations. The Law Office advises its clients also about the possibilities for individual exemptions of certain agreements, pursuant to competition legislation bans, as well as about the necessity the CPC or the European Commission to be notified about a planned transaction. There is a number of advertising campaigns and contracts containing clauses that may be suspected to be inconsistent under legal requirements.

Among the clients, having used the office’s services in the current sphere, are:

• A leading European furniture sales chain;
• Associations, bringing together the key participants on the market for electronic communications services as well as individual participants in those markets;
• Leading participants in food production and distribution markets (chutney, milk, oil) as well as on the markets, associated with raw materials trading and materials, used in food production;
• Key participants on the markets, associated with precious metals mining;
• Leading participants on the markets for industrial fittings for the water sector;
• Water and sewerage operators;
• Chains for stationery distribution, office materials and equipment.

Our Law Office has gained experience in assisting clients during the unannounced inspections of the CPC.

Our team has been a legal representative in terms of one of the first cases, regarding abuse of a stronger position when negotiating and thus the same participates in the competition protection practice establishment in Bulgaria.