Brussels, Belgium: Brussels investigators were raiding the premises of a chocolate maker in two EU countries Monday over concerns the firm may have violated the bloc's antitrust rules, the European Commission said.
The surprise inspections targeted a "company active in the chocolate confectionery sector", the commission, the European Union's anti-trust regulator, said, without disclosing the name of the firm or the countries involved.
“The commission has concerns that the inspected company may have violated EU antitrust rules that prohibit cartels and restrictive business practices, as well as abuses of a dominant market position,” the commission said in a statement.
In particular, the probe focused on "possible market segmentation in the form of restrictions on the trade of goods" between member states and "obstacles to multi-country purchases", it added.
The raids do not mean the firm is considered guilty of anti-competitive behavior, the commission noted.
Unannounced investigations are a preliminary investigative step, it said, adding there was no legal deadline to complete inquiries into anti-competitive conduct.
