Brussels, 28/06/2012 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 27 June, the European Commission decided to impose fines on a number of producers of water management products used in heating, cooling and sanitation systems, for breaching EU antitrust rules that outlaw cartels and restrictive business practices. It nonetheless reduced the fines imposed by 10% as the companies concerned acknowledged their participation in the cartel and their liability in this respect.
Flamco and Reflex were fined a total of €13,661,000 for operating together with Pneumatex a cartel on the German market from June 2006 to May 2008. Also, during a three month period, to autumn 2006, Pneumatex and Reflex coordinated their prices in France, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, Luxembourg, Italy, Finland, Sweden, Hungary, the United Kingdom, Greece, the Netherlands and Denmark. The cartel members informed each other through bilateral contacts of the amount and date of planned price increases and exchanged sensitive market information.
Water management products include expansion vessels, pressure maintenance systems, water make-up systems, degassers, air vents, separators and safety valves. (OL/transl.jl)