The Lithuanian Competition Council has announced its focus for 2025, prioritizing four key sectors: energy, defence, retail trade, and digital markets. The Council's Chairwoman, Jolanta Ivanauskienė, emphasized that the goal is to ensure fair competition, which fosters innovation and maximizes consumer benefits.

In the energy sector, the Council aims to monitor competitive conditions and regulatory frameworks, particularly in renewable energy and electric vehicle charging infrastructure. Recent findings revealed serious competition law infringements, such as price-fixing among heat pump distributors, prompting the Council to take proactive measures.

The defence sector's prioritization is driven by national security concerns, with the Council planning to collaborate closely with the Ministry of National Defence. This includes assessing the impact of legislation on competition and scrutinizing public procurement processes to prevent anti-competitive agreements.

Retail trade remains a focus due to its significance for consumers. The Council is currently investigating potential violations in the sale of everyday goods and beverage production. Notably, it has identified prohibited agreements in the cosmetics sector, highlighting the need for vigilance in e-commerce practices.

Digital markets are increasingly important, and the Council has been tasked with supervising these markets to ensure compliance with regulations on online intermediation services. The Council has also prepared guidelines to educate businesses on competition law issues related to e-commerce.

While the establishment of these priorities does not guarantee immediate action, the Council expects that increased focus will yield valuable data for assessing competition conditions in the future.