The Hungarian Competition Authority (GVH) has concluded a significant cartel case involving the illegal coordination of bids for waste management and sewer cleaning vehicles by several manufacturers over several years. Six out of seven companies involved have been fined a total of nearly 1.3 billion HUF.

Between 2014 and 2015, numerous tenders were issued under the Environment and Energy Operational Program (KEOP), allowing municipalities and water management associations to procure vehicles with state funding. The GVH discovered that companies were colluding on how to participate in these tenders, effectively eliminating competition.

The investigation revealed that Volvo Hungária Kereskedelmi Kft., along with two body manufacturers, MUT Kft. and Seres Gépipari Kereskedelmi Kft., coordinated their bids to determine which company would submit offers and which would act as a supplier. This collusion affected 35 tenders, with additional violations identified involving four other companies.

All companies, except for GIF Modul Kft., admitted to the violations and most applied for leniency. The GVH imposed fines, with the largest being 972.9 million HUF on Volvo Hungária, which also received a record procedural fine of 270 million HUF for obstructing access to evidence during the investigation.

The GVH emphasizes that restrictions related to public procurement are among the most severe violations of competition law, potentially leading to criminal consequences. The authority is committed to dismantling procurement cartels and has previously uncovered several major cartels in recent years.