The Bulgarian antitrust regulator said on Wednesday it imposed a fine of 23.4
million levs ($16.1 million/12 million euro) on gas monopoly
Bulgargaz.
The regulator established that between August 2010 and
December 2012 Bulgargaz forced its clients to extend their contracts with the
gas supplier without allowing them to negotiate the contract terms, the
Commission for Protection of Competition (CPC) said in a
statement.
Furthermore, the company compelled its clients to state in
advance the volume of gas supplies they would buy the following year using
templates with formulas that generated inflated final orders.
Bulgargaz
can be appeal the fine with the country's Supreme Administrative
Court.
Bulgargaz is a subsidiary of state-owned Bulgarian Energy
Holding.