Bulgaria Fines Russian Lukoil €100 Million
Bulgaria's Commission for Protection of Competition has imposed a €100 million fine on the Lukoil group of companies (Russia) for abusing its dominant position by restricting access to storage and transport infrastructure, which could lead to a reduction in fuel imports to the country.
According to Euractiv, the Bulgarian regulator found that the Lukoil group held a dominant position in the market and limited other companies' access to its warehouses and infrastructure.
The investigation targeted "Lukoil Neftochim Burgas" and "Lukoil Bulgaria." The Commission determined that the group violated the law by denying importers and fuel producers access to its warehouses, thereby restricting sea imports.
Additionally, Lukoil did not grant access to its pipelines for fuel transportation to other manufacturers and importers. The group owns the most advanced storage and transport infrastructure in Bulgaria and holds a monopoly on the automotive fuel storage market.
The Bulgarian regulator concluded that Lukoil was employing anti-competitive practices that, if continued for over five years, would create barriers to fuel imports.
The Commission stated that the Russian group was abusing its dominant position, and limiting imports into Bulgaria could significantly impact trade structures within the EU.
Previously, The Gaze reported that the Bulgarian Parliament voted to terminate the concession of the Russian oil company Lukoil for the operation of the Rosenets oil terminal near the Black Sea port of Burgas.
The Rosenets port, near Burgas, is the only specialized oil terminal on the Bulgarian coast of the Black Sea. It has been under Lukoil's control since 2011, when the Russian company obtained a 35-year concession.
"One of the co-authors of the bill, Atanas Atanasov, stated, 'The Bulgarian state does not control this port; smuggling occurs through it, meaning most or part of the imported oil is not declared in Bulgaria, and the income received by the concessionaires goes to support Russia in the war,'" according to The Gaze.
The terminal serves Bulgaria's only oil refinery, Neftochim Burgas, which has a capacity of processing 196,000 barrels per day and is also owned by Lukoil. In January 2022, Bulgarian legislators passed a decision that opens the door for the government to acquire the oil refinery for up to a year.