The Antimonopoly Office of the Slovak Republic (AMO) has launched an investigation into potential cartel behaviour in the bakery industry after carrying out a series of unannounced inspections on 18 and 19 November 2025. The dawn raids targeted several companies involved in the manufacture and distribution of bakery goods.
According to the authority, the inspections were prompted by indications that competing firms may have entered into prohibited arrangements affecting pricing and other trading conditions. Investigators are examining whether the companies coordinated to set prices—either directly or indirectly—or exchanged commercially sensitive information relating to the production and supply of bread and other bakery items.
Should the suspicions be substantiated, the conduct would amount to a horizontal agreement between competitors, considered one of the most serious infringements under Slovak and EU competition law. Proven participation in a cartel can expose a company to fines of up to 10 percent of its turnover for the preceding financial year.
The AMO stressed that the raids form only the initial stage of the inquiry. The decision to inspect companies does not imply that any infringement has occurred, nor does it predetermine the outcome of the ongoing investigation.