Press Release: Antitrust: Commission fines five envelope producers over € 19.4 million in cartel settlement

The European Commission fined on the 11 December 2014 Bong (of Sweden), GPV and Hamelin (both of France), Mayer-Kuvert (of Germany) and Tompla (of Spain) a total of €19 485 000 for coordinating prices and allocating customers of certain types of envelopes, in breach of EU antitrust rules. Given their cooperation in the investigation, Tompla, Hamelin and Mayer-Kuvert/GPV (the GPV assets/entities involved in the cartel were acquired by Mayer-Kuvert after the cartel had ended) benefited from fine reductions under the Commission's 2006 Leniency Notice. Since all undertakings agreed to settle the case with the Commission, their fines were reduced by a further 10% each.

• Primary Source

ESO: Background information: Competition: Commission revises Guidelines for setting fines in antitrust cases http://www.europeansources.info/record/press-release-competition-commission-revises-guidelines-for-setting-fines-in-antitrust-cases/

European Commission: Competition: Antitrust: Fines http://ec.europa.eu/competition/antitrust/legislation/fines.html

ESO: Background information: Antitrust: Commission introduces settlement procedure for cartels http://www.europeansources.info/record/press-release-antitrust-commission-introduces-settlement-procedure-for-cartels/

European Commission: DG Competition: Antitrust: Regulations: Regulation 1/2003 http://ec.europa.eu/competition/antitrust/legislation/regulations.html

European Commission: RAPID: STATEMENT/14/2600: Statement by Commissioner Vestager on the envelopes cartel settlement decision http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_STATEMENT-14-2600_en.htm

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