Stainless Steel Proceedings: Were There Agreements Between Manufacturers? - Stainless Steel Price-Fixing Trial Begins in Düsseldorf
The Higher Regional Court of Düsseldorf is set to begin hearing a case on Wednesday involving alleged price-fixing among stainless steel manufacturers. The case, known as the 'stainless steel procedure', has been ongoing since 2015 and has already resulted in fines totaling €355 million against ten companies and seventeen individuals.
The court will initially hold 17 main hearing dates until the end of January. Two companies and their responsible managers are accused of secretly agreeing with eight other stainless steel companies and two industry associations on key pricing components between late 2002 and early 2016. The case began with a sector-wide raid by cartel authorities in November 2015, following a leniency application from one of the involved companies.
In 2018 and 2021, the Federal Cartel Office imposed the aforementioned fines. However, two companies and one responsible manager have appealed against these fines, leading to the current court hearing.
The upcoming court hearing aims to address the appeals against the fines imposed by the Federal Cartel Office. The outcome of this hearing will provide further clarity on the allegations of price-fixing within the stainless steel industry.
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