On 5 October, during the final reading the Saeima adopted the amendments to the Competition Law regarding compensation of damages. Amendments provide that further on consumers, companies and other involved parties will have a simplified and more efficient possibility to claim damages from infringers of competition law.
Amendments to the Competition Law regarding damage claim specify the scope of several definitions covered by the law, such as cartel agreements and leniency programme. It enables to effectively take over the provisions of Directive 2014/104/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council on certain rules governing actions for damages under national law for infringements of the competition law provisions of the Member States and of the European Union.
Amendments simplify estimation of the amount of damage claim. The Law maintains also further the presumption that a cartel agreement causes a harm, as a result of which the price is increased by 10%, unless it has been proved otherwise.
Besides, the adopted amendments to the Competition Law provide that further on the claims for compensation of damages, as well as infringements of competition law, including infringements of a prohibition of unfair competition, will be adjudicated on the basis of special jurisdiction – by the Latgale Suburb Court of the City of Riga.
Amendments to the Competition Law will come into legal force on 1 November 2017.