The Competition Council announced on Thursday the launch of an investigation to determine the existence of alleged anti-competitive practices in the industrial sardine supply market. «As part of its duties and responsibilities defined by the Constitution, Law No. 20-13 relating to the Competition Council, and Law No. 104-12 on freedom of prices and competition — as amended and supplemented — aimed at regulating market competition and protecting consumer interests, the Competition Council has initiated an investigation into potential anti-competitive practices in the industrial sardine supply market», stated a communiqué from the Council's general rapporteur. Investigative actions carried out by the Council's instruction and inquiry services have gathered sufficient evidence suggesting the existence of anti-competitive agreements among several actors in the industrial sardine supply chain. These agreements reportedly aimed to restrict competition in the sector over a 20-year period. Specifically, they involved the concerted fixing of first-sale prices of industrial sardines — undermining free market pricing by artificially inflating or deflating prices — and the coordinated allocation and limitation of production, restricting market access and the free exercise of competition by other players. Accordingly, the general rapporteur of the Competition Council stated that, in line with Article 29 of Law No. 104-12, grievances have been formally notified to 15 professional organizations allegedly involved in these practices. These organizations include shipowners, processing units engaged in the industrial transformation of fish, and wholesalers purchasing seafood products at first sale for market distribution. This notification marks the beginning of the adversarial procedure and ensures the parties' right to defense.
