The Spanish National Commission for Markets and Competition (CNMC) has imposed a sanction on the General Council of Dentists for failing to comply with part of the commitments it undertook in 2021, when a previous sanctioning procedure concerning potentially anticompetitive statements and advertising campaigns was settled through a conventional termination (Case S/DC/0573/16).
According to the CNMC, the General Council did not submit one of the required reports detailing its communication activities, nor did it provide the certificate confirming that the Council had published the CNMC’s resolution on its website. The authority classified the failure to fulfil these obligations as a “very serious” infringement of Spain’s Competition Act.
The CNMC had opened the original investigation in 2019 against both the General Council and the Dental Association of the First Region (COEM), following complaints lodged by two dental clinics. That case was resolved in 2021 after both entities offered binding commitments to address the CNMC’s concerns.
Acknowledgement and Reduced Fine
The General Council acknowledged its breach and opted to take advantage of Article 85.3 of Law 39/2015, which allows for a reduction of up to 40% in the amount of the fine when the sanctioned party admits responsibility and pays early. As a result, it paid €25,136 instead of the full €41,893.
With payment completed and responsibility acknowledged, the CNMC has formally closed the sanctioning procedure.