The Competition Council has fined five companies 6.42 million lei for limiting the sales of medical imaging equipment in Romania.

The Competition Council announced on Friday the sanctioning of five companies, including Esaote SpA (Italy) and DTL Medical SRL (Romania), with total fines of 6.42 million lei (approximately 1.27 million euros) for participating in an agreement that restricted the sales of Esaote brand medical imaging equipment in Romania.

Between 2020 and 2022, these companies agreed to limit the marketing of equipment on Romanian territory, thus isolating Romania from the rest of the European market. Through formal agreements and coordinated behaviors, distributors were unable to accept requests from customers in other territories, affecting competition and prices.

The Competition Council emphasizes that such agreements are illegal and harm customers, especially hospitals, by reducing access to more advantageous offers. The authority's decisions are enforceable, and ANAF will apply the imposed fines.