Commission fines a Danish company for late notification

The European Commission has decided to fine with 219,000 Euro the Danish company A.P. Moller for failing to notify and for putting into effect three concentrations.

The Commission had cleared the three concentrations in accordance with the Merger Regulation, but the Commission noted that the transactions had been concluded and even put into effect several months before they were notified to the European Commission. The Commission has confirmed that A.P. Moller clearly breached its obligations to notify the transactions in due time and also its obligation not to implement them without the authorisation from the Commission.

However the fines are rather moderate and can be explained because A.P. Moller has recognised the breach, did not damage competition and informed voluntarily the Commission of its failure to notify the transactions in question, before the Commission discovered it.