On the 14th of December 2021, in the context of the effective application of competition rules in the agricultural sector, officials of the Hellenic Competition Commission (HCC) carried out an unannounced inspection (dawn raid), acting ex officio, at the premises of an undertaking active in the markets for sunflower, cotton and maize seeds and in the markets for plant protection products.
The unannounced inspection, which was carried out at the premises of an undertaking in the Prefecture of Attica is part of the preliminary stage of an investigation into anti-competitive practices, pursuant to the provisions of Greek Competition Law 3959/2011.
The fact that the HCC carried out the inspection does not indicate that the inspected undertaking has engaged in anti-competitive behaviour, nor does it prejudge the outcome of the investigation itself.
The HCC acts whenever its involvement is necessary, as the authority responsible for identifying potential violations of the provisions of Articles 1 and 2 of Greek Law 3959/2011 and of Articles 101 and 102 TFEU. Facing the potential emergence of distortive phenomena, the HCC, acting as the guardian of the proper functioning of free and competitive markets, takes on the pledge to prioritize, within the remit of its jurisdiction, every relevant case for which it is informed either through a complaint, an application for leniency or other sources of providing secured digital information (whistleblowing) and it will impose severe administrative sanctions on undertakings which have adopted anti-competitive practices.
