Source: Associated Press
For GABRIELE Steinhauser - Wednesday April 13, 2011
The European Union regulators on Wednesday fined a company Procter & Gamble and Unilever for a total of 315.2 million euros (456 million dollars) for pricing a detergent powder along with Henkel in eight countries of the continental bloc. Henkel AG, Germany, escaped a fine because he denounced the maneuver.
Procter & Gamble Co., based in the United States should pay 211.2 million euros (306 million dollars) and Unilever NV, the British-Dutch company, was fined 104 million euros (150 million dollars .) Both companies were reduced their fines because they agreed to settle the case with the Commission and cooperated with the investigation.
The three firms are the main producers of washing powder in Europe, the Commission said. Unilever produces detergents such as OMO and Radiant, Procter & Gamble produces Ariel and Tide, and Henkel's Persil brand owner. In the United Kingdom and Ireland, Persil is sold by Unilever.
The cartel began when companies met to determine how to reduce packaging costs, "Commissioner of Competition of the European Union, Joaquin Almunia.
"seize this environmental initiative to agree to their presence in the market and not reduce prices but the packaging were smaller, "said Almunia.
The cartel lasted from January 2002 to March 2005 and covered Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain and the Netherlands, the Commission said.
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[News expanded and from another source:]
Source: CONSUMER.es Eroski - Thursday April 14, 2011
The European Commission (EC) has imposed a fine of 315.2 million to multinationals Unilever and Procter and Gamble for bargain prices and market share of detergents in washing powder in eight countries of the European Union (EU), including Spain. The German company Henkel will face no sanction, to be the first to denounce in Brussels to the cartel, which lasted three years. The three companies mentioned are the main producers of detergent powder in Europe.
Procter and Gamble will pay 211.2 million euros, while the fine for Unilever to 104 million euros. The sanctions against the two companies include a discount of 10% for recognizing the facts and have contributed to a rapid conclusion of the investigation. Also other reductions have been implemented through collaboration with the investigations.
"By recognizing their participation in the cartel, the companies have enabled the EC quickly closed their investigation and have benefited from a reduction of the fine, "said vice president of the European Commission responsible for competition, Joaquín Almunia." However, there should be no illusions about the determination of the EC to address the issue vigorous anti-cartel which impose higher prices on consumers who pay in the context of a healthy and fair competition, "he said.
The EU executive has evidence that the cartel existed at least from January 7 2002 to March 8, 2005. The illegal agreement began when the company launched an initiative coordinated by the organization that represents professional, to improve the environmental performance of detergents. "The environmental objective did not require them to coordinate prices or resort to other anti-competitive practices," they said from Brussels.
addition to Spain, the illegal agreement covering Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Portugal and the Netherlands. The amount of the fine is calculated based on sales of businesses in the eight affected countries, the "extreme gravity" of the offense and the high combined market share of the parties.
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