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ARTICLE · 16 APRIL 2012

Commission Smash Window Cartel And 'Freighten' Others

MacRoberts
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In two recent decisions, the European Commission ("the Commission") imposed substantial fines on those operating cartels in breach of EU anti-competition rules.

United KingdomAntitrust/Competition Law
David Flint
David Flint
John Reid
John Reid
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Background

In two recent decisions, the European Commission ("the Commission") imposed substantial fines on those operating cartels in breach of EU anti-competition rules.

In the first case, nine companies were fined a total of €85.876 million for operating an EU wide cartel in the market for window mountings. Essentially, the cartel fixed the prices of window mountings by agreeing on common price increases, which would apply to such products. When setting the fine, the Commission took into account the duration of the cartel, which lasted from November 1999 until July 2007. The Commission also took into consideration the size of the window mounting market (which is currently estimated at €1 billion) and the high combined market share of the cartel members (estimated at 80% share for the "turn and tilt" mounting). 

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