The consumer authority has not received “any credible reports of abusive food monopolies” over the past two years despite issuing over 180 voluntary requests for information to retailers and importers, the authority told Times of Malta.

A spokesperson for the MCCAA’s office for competition said that it had issued the requests in response to media reports of anti-competitive practices that cropped up late last year.

At the time, Labour MEP Alex Agius Saliba had called on the European Commission to investigate Maltese food importers for effectively running monopolies in the local food sector, later submitting a petition to a European Parliament committee that gained cross-party support.

In a written reply formalising its position in February, European Commissioner for Competition Margrethe Vestager told Agius Saliba that he was knocking on the wrong door and that the matter fell within the competence of the MCCAA, which is “well placed” to investigate the matter.

The problem with competition lies across smaller food stores, which make up 40% of the market- Labour MEP Alex Agius Saliba

An MCCAA spokesperson told Times of Malta that they are “in agreement with the Commission’s position and will initiate investigations should new evidence be presented”.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the European Commission told Times of Malta that it outlined its position in the reply published by Vestager in February and would shortly be issuing a reply to the EP petition submitted by Agius Saliba.

The spokesperson said that the Commission held a meeting with Agius Saliba in early March where it invited Agius Saliba “to bring his concerns to the Malta Competition and Consumer Affairs Authority, as this national competition authority is well placed to deal with the matter at hand in light of the information provided to the Commission”.

Agius Saliba, on his part, told Times of Malta that discussions with the Commission are ongoing, with his team having provided the EC with “pricing data and market-share of main distributors” throughout March.

“We are waiting for another meeting to touch base on the information provided,” he said.

Agius Saliba said he is arguing that the problem with competition lies across smaller food stores, which make up 40% of the market, rather than across the sector as a whole.

“DG COMP (the Commission’s unit responsible for competition) informed me that they are collecting data from MCCAA to decide the way forward,” he said.