The European Commission has initiated an unannounced inspection at Nokian Tyres plc’s (“Nokian Tyres”) headquarters in Nokia, Finland. The European Commission has expressed its concerns that the inspected tyre manufacturing companies may have violated EU antitrust rules that prohibit cartels and restrictive business practices.
The Commission has concerns that the inspected companies may have violated EU antitrust rules that prohibit cartels and restrictive business practices (Article 101 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union).
The products concerned by the inspections are new replacement tyres for passenger cars, vans, trucks and busses sold in the European Economic Area. The Commission is concerned that price coordination took place amongst the inspected companies, including via public communications.
The Commission officials were accompanied by their counterparts from the relevant national competition authorities of the Member States where the inspections were carried out.
Unannounced inspections are a preliminary investigatory step into suspected anticompetitive practices. The fact that the Commission carries out such inspections does not mean that the companies are guilty of anti-competitive behaviour, nor does it prejudge the outcome of the investigation itself.
