The Competition Council conducted a dawn raid at the premises of a natural gas distribution operator, within the investigation initiated by Decision of the Plenum of the Competition Council No. 13 as of 29.08.2025.

The competition authority is examining indications of a possible infringement of Article 11(1)(f) of the Competition Law, which prohibits the unjustified refusal to supply to a particular beneficiary.

Context of the investigation

The investigation was initiated following the identification of signs of potentially abusive conduct by the operator concerned, manifested through the unjustified refusal to provide sealing/unsealing services for natural gas metering equipment belonging to non-household consumers connected to its network.

Such conduct may indicate a possible restriction of effective competition on the markets for the dismantling/installation, metrological verification, and repair services of natural gas metering equipment.

The Competition Council underlines that dawn raids represent a preliminary step in the investigation of potential anti-competitive practices. The conduct of a dawn raid does not imply the establishment of guilt of the undertaking concerned. The evidence collected will be thoroughly assessed to determine the need for further investigative actions in order to establish the existence or absence of infringements of the legislation.

The legal framework does not set a fixed deadline for the completion of investigation procedures. The duration depends on several factors, including the complexity of the case, the level of cooperation of the undertakings concerned with the Competition Council, and the exercise of the rights of defence by the parties.

The Competition Council will provide additional information as the case progresses.