June 7 (SeeNews) - Bulgaria's Commission for Protection of Competition (CPC) said that it opened proceeding to establish whether ViK Varna, the water utility serving the Bulgarian city of Varna, has been abusing its dominant market position.
According to a complaint filed before the antitrust authority by a private individual, ViK Varna has been unlawfully demanding additional payments from clients wishing to use the utility's services, the CPC said in a statement last week.
The regulator said that ViK Varna is the only operator of the water supply and sewerage network in Varna region, which allows it to impose on consumers the unilateral determination of costs for the construction of infrastructure as well as for activities related to the construction.
The behaviour of the water utility carries the characteristics of possible operational abuse, which requires the antitrust body to analyse whether through these practices ViK Varna took benefit in the form of revenues and harmed the consumers' interests, the CPC said.