Inspections have taken place in several European Member States by the European Commission into a possible cartel in the recycling sector.
Unannounced inspections took place on 26 September at the premises of several unnamed purchasers of scrap batteries and other lead scrap for the production of recycling lead.
In a statement, the European Commission said: “The Commission has reasons to believe that the companies concerned may have violated Article 101 of the Treaty of the Functioning of the European Union, which prohibits cartels and restrictive business practises.”
Commission officials were accompanied by their counterparts from the national competition authorities. The Member States involved were not specified.
These inspections are a preliminary step in investigations into suspected cartels, and any companies that become subject to future antitrust proceedings will be able to defend themselves. There is no legal deadline to complete cartel inquiries.
