on Thursday, the Federal office of the German cartel stated that it fined the three largest automakers in the country - BMW, Volkswagen and Daimler - a total of 100 million euros for forming a cartel for the purchase of steel.
From 2004 to 2013, automakers regularly met with steel producers and other companies in the supply chain to discuss a single copayment when purchasing steel, said the office of the cartel.
According to him, illegal prices as a result of cartel were paid until at least 2016.
the Automakers agreed to pay the fines. BMW has said it will pay a fine in the amount of 28 million euros. Daimler will have to pay 23.5 million euros.
Volkswagen, the largest automaker of Germany, refused to announce the amount of the fine, but welcomed the end of investigations into cartel and legal clarity.
Federal cartel office, established in 1958, is included in the organizational structure of the Ministry of Economics and technology of Germany, but acts independently and on their own. The state Department employs 320 people, half of them economists and lawyers.
