Three brewers have been slapped with fines totalling over EUR270m after being found guilty of cartel activities in Holland. The EC announced today (18 April) that Heineken, Grolsch & Bavaria will have to pay EUR273.8m for their parts in a cartel in the Dutch beer market between 1996 & 1999. In 2005, the Commission's antitrust authorities claimed that the brewers had fixed prices, allocated customers and exchanged commercially-sensitive information between themselves in Holland. While Heineken was hit hardest, with a EUR219.3m fine, Grolsch was told to pay EUR31.58m, while Bavaria was fined EUR22.9m. InBev, meanwhile, escaped a fine for blowing the whistle on the cartel to the Commission. "It is unacceptable that the major beer suppliers colluded to hike up prices & carve up the market between themselves," said Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes.
