Brussels, 14/04/2003 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission announced on 25 March that it has authorised inspections at premises of European chemicals groups specialised in hydrogen peroxides, solvents, methacrylates and softening agents which it suspects of anti-competitive practices. These inspections have been carried out in four member states. "The purpose of these inspections is to ascertain whether there is evidence of suspected price-fixing, market and customer allocation, and exchange of confidential commercial information in relation to sales of the above-mentioned chemical products", the Commission said to the Reuters Agency. The Belgian group Solvay and the German group BASF have confirmed that they have been subject to these inspections and said that they are cooperating fully with the Commission. Solvay pointed out that the inspections had focussed on its activities in the field of hydrogen peroxides, in particular for the manufacture of paper and disinfectants. BASF stressed that its premises in Ludwigshafen had been visited and that on that occasion documents had been seized regarding its activities in plasticisers, methacrylates (these two substances being used in PVC manufacture) and solvents.