Press Release: Competition: Commission fines seven companies EUR388.128 million for bleaching chemicals cartels

The European Commission on 3 May 2006 found that nine companies participated in cartels in the hydrogen peroxide (HP) and perborate (PBS) markets in clear violation of EC Treaty rules against restrictive business practices (Article 81). Seven of these companies (Akzo Nobel, Edison, FMC/Foret, Kemira, Snia, Solvay and Total/Elf Aquitaine/Arkema) were therefore fined a total of €388.128 million. Arkema (formerly Atofina), Solvay and Edison had their fines increased as they were repeat offenders. Degussa, also a repeat offender, would have been fined if it had not received full immunity for providing information about the cartel. L’Air Liquide (and its subsidiary Chemoxal) was subject to the prohibition decision, but the Commission’s right to impose fines had expired as the company left the market in 1998. The nine companies exchanged commercially important and confidential information, limited production, allocated market shares and customers and fixed and monitored (target) prices of HP and PBS in the European Economic Area (EEA) between 1994 and 2000.

BBC News: EU fines chemicals sector cartel, 3.5.06 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4968872.stm

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