Romania: Schoenherr successful in competition litigation for Allianz-Țiriac Asigurări

In 2018, following an investigation conducted by the Romanian competition authority into the Romanian insurance market, nine insurance companies (including Allianz-Țiriac Asigurări) were fined a total of over EUR 50m for allegedly breaching competition rules. The companies were accused of engaging in concerted practices to raise RCA (motor third-party liability) tariffs through the exchange of competitively sensitive information on intended future tariff increases.

Assisted by Schoenherr, Allianz-Țiriac Asigurări challenged the sanctioning decision and successfully obtained its annulment in the first instance before the Bucharest Court of Appeals. The litigation involved complex issues both on the merits, considering the applicable national and EU competition laws, and on a procedural level.

"We are delighted to have successfully represented Allianz-Țiriac Asigurări in this competition litigation," said Georgiana Bădescu, Partner and Head of the firm's EU, Competition & Foreign Trade practice in Romania, who led the Schoenherr team. "We would like to thank the client's team for their trust throughout this complex, eight-year long project, encompassing legal advice during the competition investigation and the subsequent litigation." 

The firm advised on competition law and dispute resolution, including designing the case strategy and providing court assistance throughout the litigation.

"We are pleased to add this favourable court decision to the firm's strong track record in contentious administrative litigation," said Rebeca Dan, Managing Attorney at Law, who coordinated the project's litigation aspects. "Working together, our competition law and dispute resolution experts provided an integrated solution to the complex aspects of this case."

The Schoenherr team was led by Georgiana Bădescu (Partner) and included lawyers specialising in EU, competition & foreign trade, as well as dispute resolution experts. Mihaela Anghel (Attorney at Law) addressed key competition law matters. Rebeca Dan (Managing Attorney at Law) coordinated litigation matters. The dispute resolution team also included Nora Olah (Partner).