On Monday 8 September, the European Commission announced that it had fined Eurofield SAS and Unanime Sport SAS, Eurofield’s ultimate parent company at the time of the infringement, approximately €172,000 for providing an incomplete response to a request for information sent as part of its investigation into the synthetic turf sector.
In June 2023, the Commission sent a request for information to Eurofield as part of its investigation. After examining the response and comparing it with documents collected during unannounced inspections, the Commission had evidence that the response was incomplete. In October 2023, it therefore sent a further request for information outlining its concerns. Eurofield again gave an incomplete response.
In November 2024, the Commission informed Eurofield and Unanime Sport that it had opened an investigation into the alleged breach of procedure relating to the incomplete response. The parties then agreed to cooperate with the Commission in this investigation, acknowledging their responsibility for the infringement and agreeing to pay a fine.
The Commission concluded that a fine of 0.3% of the parties’ combined total turnover would be both proportionate and dissuasive. At the same time, as a reward for cooperation, it has decided to reduce the fine by 30%, bringing the total amount down to around €172,000. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)