GREECE Trends and Developments Contributed by: Victoria Mertikopoulou, Ifigeneia Argyri and Maria Paziotopoulou, Kyriakides Georgopoulos Law Firm
International co-operation Global co-operation is a cornerstone of the HCC’s strategy. During 2024, the authority con - sistently participated in the activities of the Euro - pean Competition Network (ECN), the Interna - tional Competition Network (ICN), the OECD and the United Nations Commission on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), promoting the conver - gence of competition policies at an international level. OECD collaboration Bid rigging aiming to distort competition in pub - lic procurement remains one of the most serious competition law restrictions that undermine ten - der integrity. Since September 2024, the HCC has been participating in a two-year intergovern - mental project to combat bid rigging, led by the OECD ‒ a highlight of the HCC’s synergy agenda. The project, part of the HCC’s broader strategy and underlining its continued commitment to fight bid-rigging practices, aims to enhance mechanisms for preventing and detecting collu - sion in public tenders, raise awareness of these risks, increase competition compliance, and promote effective co-operation between public bodies and competition authorities. Final reflections ‒ what to expect in 2025 Under the leadership of its new chairwoman (appointed in January 2024), the HCC vigor - ously pursues its investigations in the key sec - tors identified, using both traditional enforce - ment and alternative contemporary competition policy tools to address various socio-economic challenges. According to its strategic plan for 2024‒25, the HCC’s enforcement activity will focus on: • effective market intervention, promoting fair competition among consumers and busi - nesses; and
54 of Law 5045/2023), the results of the HCC’s recent mapping studies on the conditions of competition in the markets for feta cheese, vet - erinary pharmaceutical products (VPPs) and ani - mal feed respectively are of particular interest. Mapping of feta cheese market Τhe mapping study for the feta cheese market published in October 2024 examines the evo - lution of the market shares of the 11 largest supermarkets, the evolution of supplier shares for private label and branded products, and the impact of the household basket (HB) on prices and consumer habits. Key findings include a 13.8% increase in feta cheese sales in 2023, a fragmented supply side with no supplier holding more than 16%, and significant shifts towards private label products from 2022 to mid-2024. Despite this, the study concludes that branded feta remains the preferred consumers’ choice (82%), with the HB having minimal impact on overall preferences. Mapping of VPPs and animal feed markets In response to rising costs in the livestock sec - tor, the HCC decided in May 2024 to map com - petition conditions in the VPP sector, which includes medicines for animals and medicated feed. Additionally, in July 2024, the HCC initi - ated a complementary mapping exercise in the animal feed market. Together, these studies aim to provide a com - prehensive understanding of competition condi - tions in the agrifood sector and the supply chain of essential foodstuffs in Greece. Accordingly, the main results for 2024 show that average purchase prices of simple and compound feeds decreased, reaching levels lower than in 2021, while selling prices follow international market prices ‒ with profit margins increasing despite the decrease in energy prices.
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