AMENDMENTS TO THE LITHUANIAN COMPETITION LAW HAS BEEN ADOPTED

Today, the Parliament of the Republic of Lithuania, the Seimas, approved amendments to the Law on Competition, which aim to create conditions for more effective enforcement of competition and state aid rules in Lithuania. Among the most important changes, is the rules on recovery of unlawful and/or incompatible with the EU internal market state aid.

The amendments foresee the obligation of all aid providers to coordinate aid measures with Konkurencijos taryba in accordance with the procedure established by the Government, thus reducing the likelihood of aid which is unlawful and/or incompatible at municipal level. The amendments also stipulate the actions to be taken by the aid providers and the State Tax Inspectorate when it becomes known that illegal aid has been granted. To improve the regulatory framework, the functions of the Chairperson of Konkurencijos taryba are also clarified in the legal act.

Another novelty of the Law – from now on, Konkurencijos taryba will have to be informed not only about the cases when Lithuanian courts apply the provisions of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU, prohibiting infringements of competition, but also when the Law on Competition is applied separately. Accordingly, the amendments provide that a copy of a court decision adopted in application of the Competition Law shall be sent to Konkurencijos taryba immediately after its publication.

Some of the amendments to the Law on Competition will enter into force on 1 September 2023, and the others – on 12 January 2024.