Ljubljana - The Competition Protection Agency (AVK) has accepted a set of commitments that four liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) utilities have made to do away with their controversial practice pertaining to the return of gas cylinders by clients.

The regulator launched in November 2020 an investigation into potential collusion among Istrabenz Plini, Plinarna Maribor, Butan Plin and Ina Slovenija over suspicion that they had secretly agreed to only accept the returns of their own gas cylinders.

The agency said at the time there was reason to suspect that the gas utilities had agreed not to accept the returns of gas cylinders issued by other companies, including not among themselves, so as to parcel up the LPG cylinder market.

Last December, the regulator accepted their commitments to improve their practices, and posted the decision on its website on Monday, thus completing the procedure to establish violations of competition rules. The gas utilities also committed to annually report to the AVK about the implementation of the commitments.

If the commitments are violated, the AVK can resume the procedure to establish violations, while the breach of the agreement on commitments itself is also an offence, which can be punished with a fine of up to 10% of a company's annual revenue, the agency said in its posting.