Chairman of the Czech Competition Authority Definitively Confirms Fines for Meal Voucher Issuers’ Cartel

Meal voucher issuers Pluxee Česká republika a.s., Edenred CZ s.r.o., and Up Česká republika s.r.o. are required to pay fines totalling CZK 279,152,000. The decision has now been definitively confirmed by the Chairman of the Office for the Protection of Competition (the Office), Petr Mlsna, who dismissed the appeals lodged by the companies against the amount of the fines imposed.

At this stage, Chairman Mlsna reviewed solely the legality of the fines, as the finding of an infringement had already become final earlier. In the appeal proceedings, he examined in particular the arguments raised by the parties, which claimed, among other things, that the fines were excessive, had been calculated on the basis of incorrect turnover figures, and reflected an incorrect application of the Office’s 2018 Guidelines on Setting Fines Imposed Pursuant to the Competition Act.

“Anti-competitive conduct, especially when it persists over such a long period, must be met with an appropriate penalty. I consider the Office’s approach to imposing the fines to be fully legitimate and correct, as it was based on both the Competition Act and the 2018 Guidelines on Setting Fines. The resulting fines are neither disproportionate nor, at present, of a liquidating nature,” said Chairman Mlsna.

The final fine imposed on Pluxee amounts to CZK 132,271,000, while Edenred is required to pay CZK 101,940,000 and Up Česká republika CZK 44,941,000.

In September 2022, the Office found that the companies had entered into a cartel agreement by coordinating their terms and conditions towards retail chains regarding the acceptance of meal vouchers in a single purchase transaction in the territory of the Czech Republic during the period from 1 May 2004 to 25 June 2018. Specifically, the meal voucher issuers agreed on the maximum number of paper meal vouchers that retail chains could accept from customers within a single purchase.

As a result of this conduct, competition on the market for the issuance, sale and redemption of paper meal vouchers and related services was distorted, thereby infringing both Czech and EU competition rules. In October 2023, Chairman Mlsna upheld the Office’s finding that the infringement had been committed. However, in his view, the fines imposed required more comprehensive reasoning. Subsequently, in August 2025, the Office imposed fines in the original amounts by means of a new decision, which has now been confirmed by the Chairman of the Office.

 

Press Unit of the Office

26/066 – R0112/2025