At a recent event in Salgótarján, Rigó Csaba Balázs, the president of the Hungarian Competition Authority (GVH), stressed the importance of businesses adhering to competition laws. He revealed that in 2025, the GVH imposed nearly 3 billion forints in fines for cartel violations.

Balázs outlined the GVH's primary mission to protect consumers and ensure fair market competition. He noted that since 2020, the authority has levied a total of 14 billion forints in fines related to consumer protection cases, resulting in over 10 billion forints in compensation paid to consumers.

During his presentation, Balázs detailed various cartel cases uncovered in the past two years, including a railway cartel fined 1.2 billion forints in 2024 and a health equipment cartel fined 1.4 billion forints in 2025. The most recent case involved a waste collection cartel, which resulted in fines exceeding 1.5 billion forints.

Balázs also discussed the comprehensive consumer protection system in Hungary, which involves eight national authorities and numerous regional offices dedicated to safeguarding consumer rights. He highlighted the GVH's collaboration with businesses to promote compliance and reduce penalties, emphasizing the importance of early cooperation in investigations.

Since 2020, the GVH has provided over 18 billion forints in fine reductions to cooperating companies, showcasing its commitment to maintaining market integrity while supporting compliant businesses.