New law halts prescription of fines from the Competition Authority

The new law that prevents the prescription of fines from the Competition Authority in pending cases has been published in the Diário da República. This change was introduced in response to alerts from the Competition Authority regarding the risk of prescription in various ongoing processes.

The cases in question involved fines totaling tens of millions of euros, which could have expired if the legislation had not been clarified. The amendment aims to ensure that pending cases are appropriately handled without the risk of being considered expired.

The discussion around the need for this change gained relevance throughout 2022, the year a modification to the law raised concerns about the validity of several sanctions.

With the new law coming into effect, the intention is to strengthen compliance with competition regulations and prevent the loss of significant fines associated with cases that could otherwise be closed due to prescription. The law is applicable immediately.