Relevant legislation and statutory standards

The Competition Law of 2001 (‘the Competition Law’), which entered into force on 1 January 2002, is the principal legislation on competition in Latvia. The Competition Law has been amended five times. The latest significant substantive amendments to the Competition Law which also affected merger control rules entered into force on 1 September 2009.

The Competition Law contains the main legislation on competition law regulation and enforcement in Latvia. The Law applies to all market participants – any persons (also foreign persons) who perform or intend to perform economic activity in the territory of Latvia or whose activities affect or might affect competition in the territory of Latvia. The Latvian antitrust rules serve the following five primary objectives:

1. regulation of restricted agreements and practices,

2. prohibition of the abuse of a dominant position,

3. prohibition of the abuse of a dominant position in the retail sector,

4. control of mergers and acquisitions, and

5. prohibition of unfair competition.