Spain fines waste disposal companies

“Spain’s Competition Commission has fined four public waste disposal companies a total of €7 million for price fixing on public tenders, according to an announcement made this week. The commission says the companies had been dividing out tenders with public health authorities across Spain since 1997.”

“‘This is a significant fine reflecting a general trend towards tougher sanctions all over Europe,’ says Alvaro Ramos (MA) at Howrey. ‘The Spanish authority is taking a serious stand against antitrust violations, in particular since the introduction of the leniency program. We don’t know whether this case is the result of a leniency application, but many more cases are now cropping up.’”