Introduction On 03.12.2024, the Turkish Competition Authority (“TCA”) announced that the Competition Board (“Board”) had adopted the Guidelines on Competition Infringements in Labour Markets (“Guidelines”) with its decision dated 21.11.2024 and numbered 24-49/1087-RM(4), following the publication of the Draft Guidelines on Competition Infringements in Labor Markets (“Draft Guidelines”) and the receipt of public feedback. The…

Introduction The recent decision of the Turkish Competition Authority (“TCA”) in its investigation into Altıparmak Gıda A.Ş. (“Balparmak”) and Sezen Gıda Ltd. Şti. (“Anavarza”), prominent players in the bee products market, highlights a pivotal shift in corporate liability for employees’ anti-competitive behaviour when conducted without the company’s knowledge. Unlike the approach to corporate liability taken…

Introduction The rise of electric passenger cars has reshaped global markets, driven by decarbonization policies, growing consumer awareness, and innovative marketing strategies. Türkiye is no exception, with the sector developing rapidly. A significant step in this evolution is the Turkish Competition Authority’s (“TCA”) decision dated December 21, 2023. This decision granted an individual exemption for…

Introduction There have been some exciting developments in Turkish competition law recently, not least of which was the Turkish Competition Board’s (“Board”) first-ever judgment on non-compliance with commitments. To recap, the Board approved the merger between Luxottica Group S.p.A. and Essilor International S.A. back in 2018, subject to behavioural and structural commitments. To review the…

Part I: Prohibitive Provisions This blog post is the first in a series of two blog posts. The objective of this series is to provide a brief overview of the Draft Amendment of the Turkish Competition Act (“Draft Law”, “Turkish DMA”, “Draft” or “Law”). The first blog post focuses on the substantive provisions whereas the…

Introduction The reasoned decisions regarding the two separate investigations conducted independently by the Turkish Competition Authority (“TCA”) against suppliers operating in the fast-moving consumer goods (“FMCG”) market were published on the official website of the TCA in May 2024. Both decisions set significant precedents regarding “resale price maintenance”, which the TCA has particularly focused on…

Introduction In recent years, the Turkish Competition Authority (“TCA”) has markedly intensified its scrutiny of undertakings operating in the cosmetics sector with greater frequency, predominantly based on allegations of resale price maintenance and the restriction of online sales in this industry. In most of these investigations, the relevant undertakings have admitted the violation and applied…

Introduction There has always been a thin line between legitimate market research and potentially anticompetitive information exchanges. Caselaw on such matters is of a particular importance. On 01 January 2023, a preliminary inquiry into several undertakings active in the light and medium class and heavy commercial vehicles market[1] was initiated to determine whether these undertakings…

Introduction On 23 August 2023, the Turkish Competition Authority (“TCA”) announced that it had fined Sahibinden Bilgi Teknolojileri Pazarlama ve Ticaret A.Ş. (“Sahibinden”) for abuse of dominance and required the undertaking to implement certain remedies. The TCA decided  (“Sahibinden Decision”) that Sahibinden had infringed Article 6 of Law No. 4054 on the Protection of Competition…