The Hungarian Competition Authority (GVH) has imposed a fine of 672,000 HUF on an individual for executing a merger without prior notification and approval. The merger involved Ferenc Kis-Szölgyémi gaining direct control over Bükk Optimum Kereskedelmi és Szolgáltató Kft. The notification was submitted 12 days after the merger took place, violating the prohibition on execution.

The involved party voluntarily disclosed and acknowledged the infringement, waiving their right to appeal. It is important to note that the infringement lasted only 12 days and the merger was considered harmless from a competition perspective. Consequently, the GVH ordered the payment of the fine.

The GVH emphasized that all mergers exceeding the thresholds defined by competition law must be reported prior to execution. In cases of late notification, voluntary disclosure can still mitigate the fine, as demonstrated in this case.

The GVH operates independently and without influence in its proceedings, evaluating only the activities and capabilities of the involved companies, the competitive conditions in the relevant markets, and the expected changes due to the merger, disregarding any irrelevant political connections.

To facilitate faster processing of mergers, the GVH aims to approve clearly non-problematic mergers as quickly as possible, often within a few days. In cases raising competition concerns, a proportionate investigation is conducted. The GVH has also implemented several bureaucratic reduction measures to expedite the approval process, with an average issuance time of just 4 days for certificates.