Cartel clobbered

The European Commission (EC) has fined bitumen suppliers €183m for market sharing and price coordination in Spain.

The EC found that BP, Repsol, Cepsa, Nynäs and Galp all participated in a cartel for bitumen in Spain in violation of the EC Treaty’s ban on restrictive business practices. Bitumen is a by-product produced during the distillation of oil. It is mainly used for the production of asphalt, where it serves as an adhesive to bind stones together.

BP was the first company to come forward with information about the cartel under the Commission's 2002 Leniency Notice and received immunity from fines.

'It is unacceptable that these companies cheated customers, public authorities and tax payers in Spain for almost 12 years by carving up the market for road-building bitumen amongst them. The Commission will not tolerate such illegal activity by companies to swindle clients and we will continue to impose stiff penalties on offenders,' competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes said in a statement.