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Bulgarian Ant-Trust Watchdog Exposes Price-Fixing among Tour Operators

The Commission for Protection of Competition (KZK) has found three tour operators guilty of entering into price-fixing agreements in a public procurement for airline tickets for government officials' work trips.

According to KZK's ruling, Hornit OOD, Bulgarian VIP Travel OOD and Astral Holidays AD have engaged in concerted price coordination with an intended result to prevent, restrict or breach competition, thereby manipulating the tender opened in September 2010 for purchasing airline tickets for public officials' domestic and overseas work trips.

The competition watchdog opened the investigation on a tip-off given by the Finance Ministry and the three companies now have 45 days to file their objections to its findings.

KZK states that market competition among the companies has been completely eliminated and replaced by actual collusion, which has undermined the principles of efficient competition.

The watchdog's ruling cannot be appealed.