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Spain fines Booking.com USD446.45M for abuse of market dominance
(MENAFN) Spain's competition authority has imposed a record fine of USD446.45 million on the Dutch travel booking platform Bookingfor "abusing a dominant position" detrimental to the Spanish hotel sector. According to a spokesman from the National Authority for Markets and Competition, this penalty marks the highest ever levied by the agency.
The watchdog accused Bookingof leveraging its dominant market position to enforce several unfair commercial conditions on Spanish hotels, thereby violating European law by stifling competition from other online travel agencies. The authority divided the total fine into two equal parts, each amounting to USD223.33 million: one addressing the unfair terms imposed on hotels and the other targeting the restrictions placed on competing travel agencies. To prevent future infractions, the penalty includes specific obligations for Bookingto adhere to.
The investigation into Bookingwas initiated in February, just two weeks before the implementation of the European Union's Digital Markets Act (DMA). This legislation aims to regulate large digital platforms and ensure fair competition. Bookinghas indicated its intent to challenge the Spanish watchdog's decision, arguing that the fine should be evaluated within the context of the European Digital Markets Act, which provides a more appropriate framework for addressing such concerns.
The company, which had anticipated a potential fine of USD530 million (€489 million), expressed its stance in a statement, emphasizing that the DMA is the suitable venue for discussing and resolving the issues highlighted by the Spanish competition authority.
The watchdog accused Bookingof leveraging its dominant market position to enforce several unfair commercial conditions on Spanish hotels, thereby violating European law by stifling competition from other online travel agencies. The authority divided the total fine into two equal parts, each amounting to USD223.33 million: one addressing the unfair terms imposed on hotels and the other targeting the restrictions placed on competing travel agencies. To prevent future infractions, the penalty includes specific obligations for Bookingto adhere to.
The investigation into Bookingwas initiated in February, just two weeks before the implementation of the European Union's Digital Markets Act (DMA). This legislation aims to regulate large digital platforms and ensure fair competition. Bookinghas indicated its intent to challenge the Spanish watchdog's decision, arguing that the fine should be evaluated within the context of the European Digital Markets Act, which provides a more appropriate framework for addressing such concerns.
The company, which had anticipated a potential fine of USD530 million (€489 million), expressed its stance in a statement, emphasizing that the DMA is the suitable venue for discussing and resolving the issues highlighted by the Spanish competition authority.
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