BRUSSELS (Reuters) -The European Union’s antitrust watchdog said on Wednesday that it raided companies active in the synthetic turf industry in several EU countries, on concerns that they may be taking part in a cartel.
The European Commission, which acts as the competition enforcer in the 27-country bloc, did not name the companies nor the countries.
“The Commission has concerns that the inspected companies may have violated EU antitrust rules that prohibit cartels and restrictive business practices,” the European Commission said in a statement.
According to Dutch news agency ANP, Michael Vogel, CEO of Netherlands-based player TenCate Grass, said the company received an unexpected visit from EU inspectors, adding it was cooperating with the investigation.
TenCate Grass, which employs 1,500 employees worldwide, could not immediately be reached by Reuters for comment.
Synthetic turf is artificial grass used for different applications that replicates the appearance and function of natural grass. The EU added the current investigation concerned synthetic turf for sports use.
Companies found guilty of breaching EU antitrust rules face fines up to 10% of their global turnover.
(Reporting by Benoit Van Overstraeten; Editing by GV De Clercq, Marine Strauss)
