Prague, December 5, 2025 – The Chairman of the Office for the Protection of Competition, Petr Mlsna, has revised the fines imposed on competitors AŽD Praha s.r.o. and EPLcond for their involvement in a cartel of suppliers of public contracts for railway crossing and station equipment. The fine for AŽD Praha was adjusted to CZK 17,862,000 (approximately €704,000), while the fine for EPLcond was set at CZK 24,047,000 (around €947,000).
Earlier this year, the Office had imposed total sanctions exceeding CZK 157 million (around €6.18 million) for cartel agreements covering nearly 30 public contracts of the Railway Administration. While all participating companies admitted their involvement and qualified for a settlement, AŽD Praha and EPLcond appealed the fines imposed on them.
In deciding on the appeals, Chairman Mlsna concluded that the original fines did not adequately reflect principles of justice and proportionality, particularly considering the level of each company’s involvement and the value of the contracts affected. AŽD Praha had participated in agreements on only two contracts valued at approximately CZK 30 million (around €1.18 million), whereas other cartel participants were involved in contracts ranging from CZK 270 million to CZK 870 million (approximately €10.64 million to €34.28 million). Accordingly, the fine for AŽD Praha was adjusted downward. Conversely, the fine for EPLcond was increased because the first-instance calculation had been based on turnover from an unrelated accounting period, despite the company’s involvement in cartelized contracts exceeding CZK 300 million (around €11.82 million).
The decision underscores that appeals in competition cases do not automatically result in reduced penalties and that fines are carefully calibrated to reflect the extent of participation and economic impact of the anti-competitive behavior.