September 14, 2006
Europe’s top antitrust authority fined 14 companies a total of €266.7 million (£180 million), including a €108 million penalty for Shell, for fixing prices of road surface material bitumen in the Netherlands. Four of the firms said that they intended to appeal. Shell received the biggest fine, while its French peer Total was ordered to pay €20.25 million. An EU competition spokesman also revealed that it was inspecting suspected bitumen cartels in Spain and Belgium.