Pilkington has been charged by the European Commission with participating in an illegal cartel involving the supply of glass for car windows. It is the second time in two months that Pilkington has fallen foul of European regulators. Five weeks ago they accused the company of anticompetitive practices for flat glass for the building sector. The Commission alleged that companies "may have allocated customers & agreed on supply quotas & prices for most of the motor vehicle manufacturers in Europe, thereby restricting competition". Nippon Sheet Glass confirmed that Pilkington, part of the NSG Group, had received a statement of objections from the Commission. Saint-Gobain, the French glassmaker, confirmed that it had been notified. The companies have two months to respond. The Commission can impose fines of up to 10% of a company's worldwide annual turnover.
