EU: Commission fines French-Dutch canned beans cartel

The European Commission has imposed a fine of more than 30 million euros on French and Dutch firms that it found had run a cartel for more than 13 years which inflated prices of green beans, peas and other canned vegetables in the European Union. 

French firm CECAB received a 18-million-euro ($19.6 million)fine while the Dutch company Coroos will have pay 13.6 million euros for their participation in the cartel, the EU commission and antitrust regulator said in statement released on Friday. 

Commissioner Margrethe Vestager, in charge of competition policy, stated “European consumers should have access to food at affordable prices. Competition enables that. But instead of competing with each other, Coroos and Groupe CECAB agreed to divide the market among themselves and to fix prices for canned vegetables across Europe. They did so for over a decade. These cartels ultimately hurt European consumers and with today’s decision we send a clear message to companies that cartels are not accepted.”

Full Content: Europa Press

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