On Monday 15 December, the Commission imposed a total fine of around €72 million on three manufacturers of starter batteries for cars and trucks powered by combustion engines - Exide (€30 million), FET and its predecessor Elettra (€21.7 million) and Rombat (€20.2 million) - and on the trade association EUROBAT (€125,000), for taking part in an anti-competitive cartel that lasted more than twelve years.
The EU institution found that the targeted companies were imposing financial premiums on the purchase of lead, the most important input and the main cost factor for batteries. The companies used these bonuses during negotiations with vehicle manufacturers to ensure that the resulting additional costs were higher than they would have been in the absence of the cartel. A surcharge is legitimate to cushion changes in raw material costs, but it is illegal for suppliers to coordinate secretly to use this surcharge as a standard applicable to a sector, the Commission stressed in a press release.
Having cooperated with the Commission, Clarios (formerly JC Autobatterie) was not fined.
The fine imposed on EUROBAT for its role as facilitator is a lump sum of €125,000. This fine sends “an important signal, indicating that professional associations must take care not to facilitate the behaviour of their members”, argues the EU institution.
At the same time, the Commission has closed the proceedings it had initiated against car starter battery manufacturer Banner and service provider Kellen. (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)