Commercial agency and distribution agreements are in the forefront of agreements concluded between multi-nationals and their local subsidiaries throughout the EU territory since hey both constitute a vehicle for expanding principals’ commercial activities and thus maximizing their profits in multiple and not familiar to them, markets.

For a long time, governments have been attempting more and more to regulate franchising. Examples abound in Australia, France, Spain – even in the United States: in Australia, the franchise industry must cope with a 400-page disclosure law; in the U.S., legislators are doing their best to harm the growth of franchising in the belief that they protect free competition and fair trading; in Albania, franchising is part of the Civil Code.

For the last two years the Greek Government explores the question as to whether franchising should be regulated or not. There is a history behind this question. More specifically there has been a line of cases where franchisees suffered severe damages as a result of fraudulent behavior in some franchisors.