NEWSLETTER-2020-metin

132 NEWSLETTER 2020 would disrupt competition would be punished with the most severe administrative fines. Two days after this announcement, a statement was issued by the President of the Competition Authority 11 . In that statement, it was stated that the fresh fruit and vegetable market is being closely monitored and, although there has been no increase in costs, “exces- sive price increases” have been made, and these practices cannot be tolerated. The most important message of the said announcement was that the administrative fines will be handed down from the upper limit, and that the Competition Board will use its discretion to impose heavy penalties. Therefore, the Competition Authority explicitly stated that despite the struggle against the COVID 19 outbreak, the heaviest fines would be imposed on those who made excessive price increases by being “opportunistic.” Soon thereafter, the Competition Authority launched an inves- tigation of cleaning and food products 12 . This was followed by an investigation of mask manufacturers 13 . Thus, an active competition law practice began in Turkey. Conclusion and Implications for the Future In previous years, due to the increase in the foreign exchange and seasonal conditions experienced in Turkey, increases in the prices of some fruit and vegetable products were experienced. Thereupon, statements and investigations were made via the Competition Author- ity’s website. 14 In the same period, investigations were commenced 11 https://www.rekabet.gov.tr/tr/Guncel/rekabet-kurumu-baskani-birol-kule-nin-ya- 19def560896eea11811700505694b4c6 (Access date: 09.06.2020) 12 https://www.rekabet.gov.tr/tr/Guncel/aralarinda-zincir-marketlerin-de-bulundu- 8828c79f5f90ea11811a00505694b4c6 (Access date: 09.06.2020) 13 https://www.ntv.com.tr/turkiye/rekabet-kurumu-maske-uretim-ve-satisi-yapan- 10-tesebbuse-sorusturma-acti,126IRYcLVkGmrPAmH99FdQ (Access date: 09.06.2020) 14 ht tps: / /www. sozcu.com . t r /2018/ekonomi / tar lada-da-yok-depoda-da- yok-2768372/ (Access date: 27.03.2020); https://www.aa.com.tr/tr/ekonomi/ rekabet-kurumundan-patates-ve-sogan-fiyatlarina-takip/1182051 (Access date: 09.06.2020); http://ekonomi.haber7.com/ekonomi/haber/2775326-rekabet-kuru- mundan-kritik-sogan-aciklamasi (Access date: 09.06.2020).