The President of the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK) has recently imposed financial penalties on companies responsible for generating payment backlogs. The total value of the sanctions exceeded PLN 3.3 million. Additionally, in one case, a fine of more than PLN 450,000 was issued for failing to provide the required information.
“In payment backlog cases, we act as both the first and second instance, since we also review appeals filed by sanctioned companies. In the latest proceedings alone, we analyzed nearly 320,000 invoices issued by more than 9,000 suppliers,” emphasized UOKiK President Tomasz Chróstny.
Fines for 11 Companies
The sanctions affected businesses from various industries, including automotive, packaging, wind energy, construction, machinery, cosmetics, food, and pharmaceuticals. The highest penalty was imposed on Medi&More, amounting to over PLN 1 million.
Other penalized companies included:
- WISS Samochody Specjalne – PLN 614,000
- Amcor Specialty Cartons Polska – PLN 124,000
- Vestas-Poland – PLN 82,000
- Marelli Aftermarket Poland – PLN 126,000
- Robyg Construction – PLN 62,000
- Superior Industries Production Poland – PLN 287,000
- Contimax – PLN 340,000
- Cetes Cosmetics Poland – PLN 457,000
- Velvet Care – PLN 181,000
- LiuGong Dressta Machinery – PLN 298,000
Six out of the eleven companies did not contest the decision and took advantage of the option to reduce their penalties by 20%.
When determining the amount of the sanctions, the authority considered not only the scale and duration of delays but also mitigating factors, such as measures taken to prevent further delays or active cooperation with UOKiK. In two cases, penalties were reduced because the companies demonstrated that they themselves were victims of payment backlogs.
Fine for Lack of Cooperation
UOKiK also imposed a fine of PLN 456,300 on Neptun, a company from Lublin, for late and incomplete responses to requests during the proceedings. The company delayed responses by as much as 107 days, which significantly hindered the investigation.
According to the Act on Counteracting Excessive Delays in Commercial Transactions, every entrepreneur is obliged to provide complete and timely information upon UOKiK’s request. Failure to cooperate may result in a penalty of up to 5% of annual revenue, capped at the equivalent of EUR 50 million.
Soft Interventions Instead of Penalties
UOKiK also applies so-called “soft interventions,” which are preventive in nature. In such cases, entrepreneurs are informed about identified irregularities and possible consequences. In July, the authority sent 22 such warning signals, and since the beginning of the year, already 128 have been issued.
Source: CEO.com.pl
