02/04/2025
The European Commission has issued fines totaling €875 million for anti-competitive conduct in the automotive sector.
The case involved coordinated limitations on the development of emission-cleaning technologies for diesel vehicles - marking the first time the Commission has sanctioned a cartel for restricting innovation, rather than for price-fixing or market sharing.
Between 2009 and 2014, several companies exchanged technical information and agreed not to compete on improving certain environmental technologies, despite having the capacity to do so individually.
This decision underscores that even coordination on technical matters can constitute a breach of EU competition law when it undermines innovation and consumer benefit.
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