Budapest, August 1, 2025 – In a partially repeated proceeding, the Competition Council of the Hungarian Competition Authority (GVH) imposed a fine of HUF 547.8 million on three companies that contested the competition authority's previous decision. The companies manufacturing and distributing medical devices acknowledged the facts of the case and cooperated with the GVH in the repeated proceedings. The court confirmed the existence of the cartel, but recalculated the amount of the fine in the case of three companies.
In early 2020, the Hungarian Competition Authority imposed fines totaling more than HUF 1.6 billion on 10 companies for collusion in public procurement procedures for imaging diagnostic devices.
In the original case, several companies cooperated with the GVH, with three voluntarily reporting their illegal conduct and providing evidence. As a result, these companies received a reduction in their fines. These companies have since paid the fines imposed—more than HUF 861 million—into the central budget.
However, three companies – GE Hungary Ipari és Kereskedelmi Kft., Premier G. Med Egészségügyi Kft. and Medirex Zrt. – challenged the GVH's decision, exercising their right of appeal under the law. In the court proceedings, the Supreme Court upheld the GVH's decision that prohibited market sharing and cartelization had taken place, thus justifying the imposition of fines, but ordered the Competition Authority to conduct a new proceeding.
After their initial defense, the companies involved cooperated in the retrial, did not dispute the facts, and waived their right to appeal. (They had no opportunity to admit the infringement, as this had been confirmed by the Supreme Court in the main proceedings.) As a result of their cooperation, the companies received a significant reduction in their fines.
The Competition Council of the GVH ultimately imposed a total fine of HUF 547.8 million on the three companies (GE Hungary HUF 238.8 million, Premier G. Med HUF 202.3 million, Medirex HUF 106.7 million). With this decision, all companies fined in the original cartel case agreed to pay the fines to the central budget's fine account as part of their cooperation. Thus, the GVH's decisions, together with the fines already paid, represent a total revenue of more than HUF 1.4 billion (HUF 1,408,800,000 to be precise) for the central budget.
In connection with this case, the Hungarian Competition Authority once again draws the attention of businesses to the fact that it is worthwhile to cooperate with the national competition authority. In accordance with the provisions of the Competition Act, the GVH offers companies numerous opportunities for cooperation in both consumer protection and competition law matters. By choosing the appropriate forms of cooperation, the fines imposed can be significantly reduced and even avoided altogether, and the time required to resolve cases, which can be measured in years, can be significantly reduced.
The conditions and details of cooperation with the GVH and the concessions available through cooperation are available on the GVH website.
The official registration number of the case is VJ/34/2023.
GVH Communications
Further information:
Bálint Horváth, Head of Communications +36 20 238 6939
Katalin Gondolovics, Press Officer +36 30 603 1170