Imperfect competition

Romania's press is in the highest risk category regarding freedom of expression, according to the newest report on the Rule of Law in the EU released on Wednesday by the European Commission.

The Media Pluralism Monitor ranks EU member states into five risk levels: Bulgaria, Greece, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Romania and Slovenia are considered highest-risk countries.

The members of the Confederal Committee of the National Trade Union Confederation (CNS) "Cartel ALFA" have decided to start street activities against the Government and its aberrant measures, according to a release sent on Tuesday by the trade union organization.

The Council of State is due to decide whether the construction companies found to have formed a "contractors' cartel" by the Competition Commission can continue to bid for and execute state contracts.

Fuels in Bulgaria may again begin to rise after the Commission for Competition Protection did not prove that there is a cartel in the industry, predicted the former MP Martin Dimitrov during an interview with radio Horizont.

Yesterday the anti - monopoly commission took measures to limit the exchange of information between the fuel retail chains.

Greece's Competition Commission announced it has identified cartel practices in the field of healthcare supplies aimed at pushing up the price of artificial kidney filters sold to the country's state hospitals.

The Competition Protection Commission of Bulgaria (CPC) has accused six petrol and diesel retailers of forming a cartel in the fuels market.

The companies concerned are Lukoil Bulgaria EOOD, Eko Bulgaria EAD, Shell Bulgaria EAD, OMV Bulgaria OOD, Nis Petrol EOOD, and Petrol AD.

The lack of transparency of media ownership and the decreasing media pluralism are among the main factors contributing to Bulgaria's declining media freedom.

This was one of the most common opinions expressed by participants at a discussion entitled "The risks to freedom of expression".

At conferences with young journalists, veterans of the profession often underline that journalists are very much like inn keepers while politicians, governments and mayors are just passersby who come and go. Thus, they say, journalists must not align with the "guests" of the inn, but must instead maintain their integrity under all conditions.

By Dimitra Manifava

The Competition Commission will be focusing its efforts on the energy sector, food and basic household commodities in the coming months, targeting these sectors specifically because they have the biggest direct impact on the lives of ordinary citizens.

The Development Ministry’s competition commission has imposed 40 million euros in fines on a total of 13 chicken farms across the country after deeming that they set up a cartel to control prices and carve out their share in a lucrative market for more than 14 years.