The Greek competition authority has released a statement regarding proposed amendments to Law 3959/2011, which are being advanced through a draft law by the Ministry of Development. These changes aim to enhance the effectiveness of the authority's interventions and strengthen legal certainty.

One of the key proposed changes is the removal of the 30-day deadline for parties to submit merger notifications. This aligns Greek legislation with EU regulations, which do not impose such a deadline. However, the obligation to notify mergers remains intact, as established since 1995.

Additionally, the proposed amendments clarify that the obligation to suspend the merger remains unchanged, and deadlines for the authority's decision-making are not affected. The amendments also aim to improve the quality of notifications and the efficiency of merger evaluations.

Regarding the authority's sanctioning powers, the amendments explicitly state that non-compliance with information requests or obstruction of on-site inspections can lead to fines of up to 1% of the global turnover of the involved companies. Furthermore, the authority will be allowed to utilize advanced technological tools and connect with public and private information systems to combat unfair collaborations in public procurement.

Lastly, the amendments propose the introduction of paid internships for students and trainee lawyers at the competition authority, similar to practices in other public entities, to attract new talent.