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VW, BMW, Daimler have agreed
The car companies BMW Show stock market chart, Daimler Show stock market chart and Volkswagen Show stock market chart According to findings of the EU competition guardians, they have made illegal agreements on technologies for emission control. This was announced by the European Commission on Friday in Brussels on the basis of a preliminary result of the investigation. The corporations can now comment on the allegations. You are threatened with a billions in fines.
The EU Commission had 2017 preliminary investigations started at the car manufacturers and had also made representations to the manufacturers. The formal investigation had begun in 2018.
From 2006 to 2014, car makers allegedly infringed EU antitrust rules by agreeing to develop technologies for cleaning emissions from internal combustion engines. So they would not have competed to develop the best quality products. “This could have denied consumers in Europe the opportunity to buy vehicles with the best available technology,” said EU Commissioner Margrethe Vestager.
According to the EU, BMW, Daimler and VW have agreed to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions, especially with regard to the injection of urea (“AdBlue”) – such as the size of the AdBlue tanks or the dosing strategies, “with the common understanding that they are thereby limited the AdBlue consumption and the efficiency of the exhaust gas purification. “
They should also have agreed not to install particulate filters in gasoline engines, with which the emission of health-enduring fine dust could have been reduced.
These agreements were at meetings of car manufacturers in the so-called 5-circles been hit. If the suspicion is finally confirmed, it would be a violation of European antitrust law – even if it is not about price collusion.
Possible violations of environmental regulations are not part of the procedure, it was said. The investigations are also independent of ongoing investigations such as prosecutors to use inadmissible defeat devices of the automaker.
Both Daimler and Volkswagen filed a leniency application last year after the allegations became known. The chief witness in antitrust proceedings can hope for the greatest punishment or even impunity. In the extreme case, on the other hand, up to 10 percent of the worldwide annual turnover can be due.
BMW rejects cartel charges
BMW rejected the allegations on Friday: There had been no price or area agreements at the expense of customers or suppliers, the company said. Instead, the automaker criticized the Commission’s approach: “The BMW Group sees this process as an attempt to equate the permissible coordination of industrial positions with regulatory framework conditions with unauthorized cartel agreements,” the statement said.
According to BMW, the discussions with Daimler and VW focused on the improvement of exhaust aftertreatment technologies. “Unlike cartel agreements, these discussions, which were known throughout the industry and did not involve” collusion “, were not aimed at damaging customers or suppliers from.” Nevertheless, the Group assured the Commission that it would examine the objections in depth.
rei / dpa / Reuters