Brussels, 13/06/2012 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 13 June, the European Commission opened formal antitrust proceedings to investigate whether the German railway incumbent Deutsche Bahn AG and several of its subsidiaries operate an anticompetitive pricing system for traction current in Germany, in breach of EU antitrust rules. Traction current is a type of electricity used by trains on the railway network. The Commission will focus on whether the discounts applied by DB Energie GmbH, a subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn AG, lead to higher prices for its competitors, placing them at a disadvantage on the rail freight and passenger markets. If this is found to be the case, it would be a violation of Article 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU (TFEU) that prohibits the abuse of a dominant market position. This investigation follows a number of inspections at the headquarters of Deutsche Bahn in March 2011. (FG/transl.fl)