The Highest Corporate Fines in EU History
March 24, 2004
Under European Union law, the European Commission can impose fines on companies that use their market-dominating position in ways that harm their customers and consumers or in cases where companies participate in price-fixing cartels. On Wednesday, the Commission said it would fine Microsoft €497.2 million ($611.8 million), the highest EU fine on record.
The following is a list of the biggest fines the Commission has imposed.
1. Microsoft, 2004, abuse of near-monopoly status, €497.2 million
2. Hoffman-La Roche AG, 2001, vitamin cartel, €462 million
3. BASF AG, 2001, vitamin cartel, €296.16 million
4. Lafarge, 2002, plasterboard cartel, €249.60 million
5. Arjo Wiggins, 2001, carbonless paper, €184.27 million
6. Nintendo, 2002, restrictive distribution practices, €149.1 million
7. BPB, 2002, plasterboard cartel, €138.60 million
8. Degussa Ag, 2002, methionine cartel, €118 million
9. Volkswagen, 1998, for restrictive distribution practices, €102 million, reduced to €90 million by the Court of First Instance
10. Hoechst AG, 2003, sorbates cartel, €99 million
11. Knauf, 2002, plasterboard cartel, €85.8 million
12. SGL Carbon, 2001, graphite electrode cartel, €80.2 million
13. Tetra Pak, 1991, abuse of dominant position in liquid packaging, €75 million
14. Mercedes Benz, 2001, violating rules on car distribution, €72 million
15. ABB, 1998, heating pipes cartel, €70 million
16. UCAR, 2001, graphite electrode cartel, €50.4 million