EU regulators raid consultancy in tyre cartel probe

(BRUSSELS) - The EU Commission carried out unannounced inspections Tuesday at the premises of a consultancy firm involved in the tyres sector, over concerns it may have violated EU antitrust rules prohibiting cartels.

The inspections are conducted in the context of an investigation for which the Commission carried out inspections earlier this year.The concern is that the consultancy firm may have facilitated or instigated suspected price coordination amongst tyre manufacturers, which allegedly also used public communications channels to collude.

Commission officials were accompanied by counterparts from the relevant national competition authorities of the two EU Member States where the inspections were carried out.

Unannounced inspections are a preliminary investigatory step into suspected anticompetitive practices. The Commission stresses that the fact it carries out such inspections does not mean that the companies are guilty of anti-competitive behaviour, nor does it prejudge the outcome of the investigation itself.

There is no legal deadline to complete inquiries into anticompetitive conduct. Their duration depends on a number of factors, including the complexity of each case, the extent to which the companies concerned cooperate with the Commission and the exercise of the rights of defence.

Under the Commission's leniency programme, companies involved in a secret cartel may be granted immunity from fines or significant reductions in fines in return for reporting the conduct and cooperating with the Commission throughout its investigation. Individuals and companies can report cartel or other anti-competitive behaviour, also on an anonymous basis, through the Commission's whistle-blower channels.

Further information on the Commission's leniency programme and whistle-blower tool is available on the Commission's DG Competition's website.