In order to empower the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the Greek market that comprise the vast majority of companies and a significant part of the added value in the Greek economy, the Hellenic Competition Commission (HCC) presents a Guide for competition issues that affect SMEs.

The Guide contains the critical information that every SME needs to know both about the practices that it should avoid applying in the market, but also the information that it needs to know for its protection from anti-competitive practices that it may experience from larger companies that negatively affect it.  The purpose of the Guide is to empower SMEs within the digital economy by providing examples of anti-competitive practices they may face in the market and which they should disclose to the HCC which shouldtake action for the enhancement of competition.

The Guide covers three (3) key sections related to the operation of the legal framework for free competition which concern:

• collusion (anti-competitive agreements) between competitors,
• the participation of a SME in a distribution network,
• the relationship between SME and larger companies in the market and issues of abuse of a dominant position

Furthermore, the Guide covers two (2) sections, which concern the “market renewal” issues, i.e. the various procedures that the HCC can initiate (or already has) for the enhancement of competition conditions within the Greek economy and presents the ways in which each SME can contribute to this effort.

Finally, the Guide presents the penalties and fines that may be imposed in case of violation of competition rules, and which must be taken into account by SMEs.