EC fines companies for price fixing

December 5, 2001 Posted: 1550 GMT

LONDON (CNN) -- The European Commission has issued fines against drug companies and brewers for price-fixing.

The fines, announced on Wednesday, total more than $200 million.

The EC fined five drugs companies a total of $120 million for fixing prices and operating a worldwide cartel for citric acid, used in soft drinks, detergents and as a food preservative.

The companies include Switzerland's Hoffman-La Roche and Haarmann & Reiner, a unit of Germany's Bayer.      

Last month, the EC fined Roche $411 million -- the biggest in European history -- for conspiring to fix vitamin prices.

Belgium's Interbrew and Danone, former owner of Alken Maes beer, were fined about $45 million each for fixing beer prices in the Belgium markets. Beer makers Haacht and Martens were also fined $240,000 each.

The EC also fined the Belgium post office $2.23 million for using its monopoly to eliminate competition. The commission said La Poste had offered discounts to lure customers to its business-to-business mail service.