Brussels, 09/11/2011 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 8 November, the European Commission announced that it had carried out unannounced inspections in the sector of ball bearings for automotive equipment, where it suspects the existence of an illegal merger.
These inspections were carried out “at the premises of companies active in the industry of bearings for automotive and industrial use in several member states” of the EU, the Commission states in a press release. According to the Commission, the companies targeted “may have violated EU anti-trust rules that prohibit cartels and restrictive business practices”.
Sweden's SKF, the world leader in ball bearings, issued a press release on Tuesday which stated that it had been inspected. Its sites in Gothenberg, Sweden, and Schweinfurt, Germany, were visited by inspectors from the Commission “to gather information about possible anti-competitive behaviours among certain bearing manufacturers”. SKF has a strict code of conduct banning anti-trust behaviours and is “cooperating fully with the investigation”, adds the group, which states that no further information is available regarding the nature of the enquiry.
The Commission states that its investigation will enable it to “clarify the facts concerning the possible participation by the producers of bearings in agreements and/or concerted practices” which may break competition rules. (LC/transl.fl)