Poland’s Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK) has found that three enterprises operating in the energy, municipal waste and helicopter maintenance markets abused their dominant position

Energy market

The Authority’s investigation showed that Tauron Ciepło, a provider of energy and other products and services, charged its partners, in a manner inconsistent with the law, an additional fee for exceeding output they had ordered. The company also failed to make information available to customers about the parameters of the heat it supplied that would allow them to determine whether its charges were calculated correctly. According to UOKiK, Tauron Ciepło used its market position to impose illegal fees on customers and hinder them from asserting their rights. The company has committed to refrain from the practices. The decision is final.

Municipal waste market

In the opinion of UOKIK, the Ożarów local authority used its dominant position to enable a tender for the collection and transport of municipal waste services to be won by its local authority company, the only one to fulfil all the participation conditions. One of those conditions was that a company must have a transport and storage base on its territory, effectively doing away with any competition the Ożarów local authority might have faced. UOKiK has committed to organising a new tender within nine months of notification of the Authority's decision.

Helicopter maintenance

Finally, UOKiK has fined WSK PZL Świdnik nearly PLN 322,000 for refusing to provide PPHU Navcom Systems with a number of spare parts for Mi-2 helicopters, of which WSK PZL Świdnik is the sole manufacturer and distributor. Navcom Systems turned to UOKiK following a helicopter maintenance tender organised by Military Unit 4228 Krakow, which Navcom won. It then found itself unable to procure the spare parts it needed due to WSK PZL Świdnik’s refusal. According to the law, a company may not deny other undertakings access to products required for them to provide their services. In addition to the fine, the Authority ordered WSK PZL Świdnik to cease the restrictive practices. The company has appealed in court.

Additional information for the media:
Press Office, UOKiK
Pl. Powstańców Warszawy 1, 00-950 Warsaw
Phone.: +48 22 827 28 92, +48 22 55 60 314, +48 22 55 60 430
E-mail: biuroprasowe@uokik.gov.pl