The market for the provision of cadastral survey services and support services for the creation of a national cadastre.

Decision on the case concerning the ex officio investigation into possible anti-competitive bid-rigging practices in the market for the provision of cadastral survey services and support services for the creation of a national cadastre, in breach of Article 1 of Law 3959/2011 on the “Protection of Free Competition”, as in force, and/or Article 101 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), following the Settlement proposals submitted by the companies: 1) DOXIADIS ASSOCIATES CONSULTANTS ON DEVELOPMENT AND EKISTIKS S.A., 2) ELLINIKI PHOTOGRAMMETRIKI Ltd., 3) FOTOPO – SOCIETE ANONYME OF DEVELOPMENT STUDIES AND GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS, 4) PLANITIKI S.A., 5) GEOGRAFIKI S.A., 6) ANYSMA S.A., 7) MELETI AEME, 8) ERATOSTHENES S.A., 9) ADT OMEGA S.A., 10) ILIDA CONSULTING ENGINEERS S.A., 11) GAIA IAPETOS S.A. 12) ROIKOS ENGINEERING CONSULTANTS S.A., 13) CHOROVATIS S.A., 14) HOROTECHNIKI S.A., 15) SCHEDIASMOS S.A. CONSULTING ENGINEERS, 16) GAIA S.A. MELETON, 17) GEOAPIKONISIS S.A. and 18) TOMI S.A. SOCIETÉ ANONYME OF TECHNICAL STUDIES.

Article 29A of Law 3959/2011 and para. 39 of the HCC Plenary Decision No. 790/2022.

Operative part of the Decision

The HCC, in Plenary sitting, unanimously decides by open vote, as follows:

A. Finds that the companies: 1) DOXIADIS ASSOCIATES CONSULTANTS ON DEVELOPMENT AND EKISTIKS S.A., 2) ELLINIKI PHOTOGRAMMETRIKI Ltd., 3) FOTOPO – SOCIETE ANONYME OF DEVELOPMENT STUDIES AND GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS, 4) PLANITIKI S.A., 5) GEOGRAFIKI S.A., 6) ANYSMA S.A., 7) MELETI AEME, 8) ERATOSTHENES S.A., 9) ADT OMEGA S.A., 10) ILIDA CONSULTING ENGINEERS S.A., 11) GAIA IAPETOS S.A., 12) ROIKOS ENGINEERING CONSULTANTS S.A., 13) CHOROVATIS S.A., 14) HOROTECHNIKI S.A., 15) SCHEDIASMOS S.A., 16) GAIA S.A. MELETON, 17) GEOAPIKONISIS S.A. and 18) TOMI S.A. SOCIETÉ ANONYME OF TECHNICAL STUDIES infringed, as acknowledged thereby and according to the grounds of the Decision,  Article 1 of Law 3959/2011, as in force, and Article 101 TFEU, by engaging in a horizontal bid-rigging agreement through the practices running over the following periods, as outlined in the context of the Settlement Procedure:

·         DOXIADIS ASSOCIATES CONSULTANTS ON DEVELOPMENT AND EKISTIKS S.A.: from 18.09.2013 to 29.12.2020,

·         ELLINIKI PHOTOGRAMMETRIKI Ltd.: from 18.09.2013 to 29.12.2020,

·         FOTOPO – SOCIETE ANONYME OF DEVELOPMENT STUDIES AND GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS: from 18.09.2013 to 29.12.2020,

·         PLANITIKI S.A.: from 18.09.2013 to 29.12.2020,

·         GEOGRAFIKI S.A.: from 18.09.2013 to 29.12.2020,

·         ANYSMA S.A.: from 18.09.2013 to 29.12.2020,

·         MELETI AEME: from 18.09.2013 to 29.12.2020,

·         ERATOSTHENES S.A.: from 18.09.2013 to 29.12.2020,

·         ADT OMEGA S.A.: from 18.09.2013 to 29.12.2020,

·         ILIDA CONSULTING ENGINEERS S.A.: from 18.09.2013 to 29.12.2020,

·         GAIA IAPETOS S.A.: from 18.09.2013 to 29.12.2020,

·        ROIKOS ENGINEERING CONSULTANTS S.A.: from 18.09.2013 to 29.12.2020,

·         CHOROVATIS S.A.: from 18.09.2013 to 29.12.2020,

·         HOROTECHNIKI S.A.: from 18.09.2013 to 29.12.2020,

·         SCHEDIASMOS S.A.: from 18.09.2013 to 29.12.2020,

·         GAIA S.A. MELETON: from 18.09.2013 to 07.08.2019,

·         GEOAPIKONISIS S.A.: from 27.05.2016 to 20.12.2017,

·        TOMI S.A. SOCIETÉ ANONYME OF TECHNICAL STUDIES: from 27.05.2016 to 20.12.2017.

B. Orders the above undertakings to cease, if they have not already done so, and refrain in the future from the infringements of Articles 1 of Law 3959/2011 and 101 TFEU found.

C. Finds that the terms and conditions set out in the Leniency Program, specified in HCC Decision No. 526/VI/2011 are met, and grants the company GAIA S.A. MELETON and the applicant natural person the benefit of leniency with full immunity from fines, according to para. 47 of HCC Decision 526/V/2011 (Leniency Program).

D. Imposes fines (reduced by 15%) on the other settling companies for the infringements established of Articles 1 of Law 3959/2011 and 101 TFEU, as follows:

·         DOXIADIS ASSOCIATES CONSULTANTS ON DEVELOPMENT AND EKISTIKS S.A.: a fine of one hundred and seven thousand seven hundred and sixty-six euros and eighty-six cents (€ 107,766.86),

·         ELLINIKI PHOTOGRAMMETRIKI Ltd.: a fine of eight thousand fifty-nine euros and five cents (€ 8,059.05),

·         FOTOPO – SOCIETE ANONYME OF DEVELOPMENT STUDIES AND GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS: a fine of seventy-eight thousand five hundred and five euros and seventeen cents (€ 78,505.17),

·         PLANITIKI S.A.: a fine of twenty-eight thousand three hundred and seventy-eight euros and five cents (€ 28,378.05),

·         GEOGRAFIKI S.A.: a fine of twenty-one thousand four hundred and fifty euros and twenty-two cents (€ 21,450.22),

·         ANYSMA S.A.: a fine of twenty-seven thousand six hundred and forty-eight euros and fifty-three cents (€ 27,648.53),

·         MELETI AEME: a fine of fifty thousand nine hundred and sixty-four euros and ninety cents (€ 50,964.90),

·         ERATOSTHENES S.A.: a fine of one thousand ninety-one euros and eighty-three cents (€ 92,091.83),

·         ADT OMEGA S.A.: a fine of two hundred and nineteen thousand, four hundred and fifty-six euros and sixty-five cents (€ 219,456.65),

·         ILIDA CONSULTING ENGINEERS S.A.: a fine of one hundred and forty-four thousand, three hundred and thirty-seven euros and ninety-four cents (€ 144,337.94),

·         GAIA IAPETOS S.A.: a fine of one thousand one hundred and seventy-four euros and forty-four cents (€ 1,174.44),

·         ROIKOS ENGINEERING CONSULTANTS S.A.: a fine of one hundred and five thousand, three hundred and sixty-eight euros and eighty-two cents (€ 105,368.82),

·         CHOROVATIS S.A.: a fine of ninety-nine thousand one hundred and seventy-seven euros and forty-eight cents (€ 99,177.48),

·         HOROTECHNIKI S.A.: a fine of fifteen thousand seven hundred and fifty-nine euros and seventy-six cents (€ 15,759.76),

·         SCHEDIASMOS S.A.: a fine of thirty-nine thousand eight hundred and twenty-two euros and forty-two cents (€ 39,822.42),

·         GEOAPIKONISIS S.A.: a fine of seventeen thousand eight hundred and forty-four euros and eighty cents (€ 17,844.80),

·         TOMI S.A. SOCIETÉ ANONYME OF TECHNICAL STUDIES: a fine of twenty-three thousand five hundred and thirty-two euros and seventy-two cents (€ 23,532.72).

1)      “DOXIADIS ASSOCIATES CONSULTANTS ON DEVELOPMENT AND EKISTIKS S.A.”

2)      “ELLINIKI PHOTOGRAMMETRIKI Ltd.”

3)      “FOTOPO – SOCIETE ANONYME OF DEVELOPMENT STUDIES AND GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS”

4)      “PLANITIKI S.A.”

5)      “GEOGRAFIKI S.A.”

6)      “ANYSMA S.A.”

7)      “MELETI AEME”

8)      “ERATOSTHENES S.A.”

9)      “ADT OMEGA S.A.”

10)  “ILIDA CONSULTING ENGINEERS S.A.”

11)   “GAIA IAPETOS S.A.”

12)  “ROIKOS ENGINEERING CONSULTANTS S.A.”

13)  “CHOROVATIS S.A.”

14)  “HOROTECHNIKI S.A.”

15)  “SCHEDIASMOS S.A.”

16)  “GAIA S.A. MELETON”

17)  “GEOAPIKONISIS S.A.”

18)  “TOMI S.A. SOCIETÉ ANONYME OF TECHNICAL STUDIES”

The case concerns anti-competitive bid-rigging practices in the market for the provision of cadastral survey services and support services for the creation of a national cadastre throughout the Greek territory. The relevant investigation was launched in November 2021. Eighteen (18) of the undertakings investigated were placed under the Settlement Procedure, pursuant to para. 14 of HCC Decision no 790/2022 while one of the undertakings investigated applied for immunity from fines under the Leniency Programme, in accordance with HCC Decision 526/VI/2011.

The investigation has established some of the  undertakings investigated concerted together in the context of meetings and personal contacts, in order to agree in advance on an allocation scheme with regard to the individual twenty-eight (28) cadastral survey projects in the context of the tender launched on 04.10.2013 by the company under the name NATIONAL CADASTRE & MAPPING AGENCY S.A. , with HELLENIC CADASTRE, (a body governed by public law, as the current universal successor thereof) for the “Award of contracts for cadastral surveys & support services for the integration of the remaining areas of the country in the National Cadastre”, by commonly determining the lowest bidder. These undertakings engaged in a horizontal bid-rigging agreement, namely in an agreement and/or concerted practice regarding the allocation of cadastral survey service awarding in the context of the relevant tenders by determining the lowest bidder for each of these projects (horizontal market sharing agreement). Through the above conduct, assessed as a whole, the undertakings involved proactively reduced the uncertainty entailed by autonomous competitive behaviour.

This horizontal agreement was of a single and continuous nature (with individual differentiations for each company) and extended from September 2013 to December 2020.

By its decision, the Hellenic Competition Commission imposed fines totalling €1,081,339.64 on seventeen undertakings under investigation, while granting one company and the applicant natural person the benefit of leniency with full exemption from the fine, in accordance with paragraph 47 of Decision EA 526/V/2011 (Leniency Programme).