The law must apply equally to all market participants, Commission for Protection of Competition (CPC) Chair Rosen Karadimov said on Tuesday, defending the fines imposed on Kaufland Bulgaria.
Karadimov spoke to journalists at Sofia Tech Park, where CPC was holding a public discussion on its guidelines for cooperation in the agricultural sector and an accompanying practical guide.
CPC found three violations and imposed a separate fine for each, Karadimov said. He put the fines for two of the violations at 1.5% of the company’s turnover each and the fine for the more serious violation at 2.2% of total turnover.
Under the Competition Protection Act, fines for unfair trading practices can reach 10% of turnover per violation, he said. He said the Kaufland fines were at the lower end of the range and recalled other cases in which CPC had imposed fines of around 3% to 4% of turnover.
Kaufland said it would appeal and warned it could freeze investment in Bulgaria. Karadimov said the company was entitled to its position and that CPC would not comment.
“I would not want this commission to apply double standards while I am its chair,” Karadimov said. He said the commission’s regulatory duty was to ensure that all market participants complied with the law.
Karadimov cited the example of Poland, where the competition regulator imposed a EUR 170 million fine on a retail chain. The fine was later reduced to EUR 110 million, he said. He cautioned against using such decisions to cast doubt on a country’s investment climate.
CPC’s action involving retail chains followed a lengthy examination of the sector, Karadimov said. The commission began its inquiries in June 2025 and presented its findings that December. It identified structural distortions that left producers in a weak position and retailers in a dominant one.
The commission called for dialogue and self-regulation and gave market participants time to act. It opened proceedings against Kaufland Bulgaria in May 2026 and spent the next five months gathering evidence and examining the practices it had identified, Karadimov said.
Only the court could determine whether the evidence was sufficient, he said. The commission had issued its decision because it believed the evidence supported it.
Karadimov said CPC had drawn up the agricultural cooperation guidelines and practical guide to help Bulgarian farmers identify ways to work together within EU competition rules.
He contrasted prohibited agreements between producers to fix their selling prices with permissible arrangements such as forming producer organizations to pool resources and work together.
Karadimov said both CPC and the European Commission scrutinized cases in this complex area. The guide was designed to help farmers assess their options before taking steps that might breach the rules.
The initiative also supported legislative efforts to speed up the formation of agricultural cooperatives, Karadimov said. The aim was to make Bulgarian cooperatives stronger and more competitive while keeping their dealings with other market participants within EU competition rules.

Competition Watchdog Chair Defends Kaufland Bulgaria Fines THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-11-10 02:02:03

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