The Lithuanian Competition Council has fined fuel retailer Emsi €1,022,170 for violating competition law by expanding its network without obtaining prior approval from the authority. The company was found to have taken control of four fuel stations, two leased and two purchased, without the required merger clearance.
According to the Council’s findings, Emsi implemented two separate concentrations in 2024. In March, it leased two stations in Kaunas from the related company Antira, which had itself acquired them just four days earlier from Tubus. This arrangement effectively transferred control of the stations to Emsi through Antira.
A second concentration occurred in April and May, when Emsi acquired one fuel station in Vilnius from Takuras and another in Maišiagala, Vilnius district.
Under Lithuanian competition law, both lease and purchase agreements involving gas stations require prior notification and authorization, as each gas station is considered an independent economic unit with its own market turnover. The combined revenue of Emsi and the acquired gas stations exceeded the statutory thresholds — €2 million for each party in Lithuania and €20 million in total — triggering the obligation to seek clearance. Despite being informed of this requirement before the investigation began, Emsi failed to comply.
Full story Lithuania Fines Emsi Over Unauthorized Gas Station Acquisitions – Antitrust Intelligence
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