Mondelez received a EUR 337.5 million fine from EU antitrust regulators for impeding cross-border trade of chocolate, biscuits and coffee products between EU countries. The Commission found that Mondelez engaged in anti-competitive deals and abused its position of market dominance in breach of EU antitrust laws. The  fine was reduced by 15% after Mondelez acknowledged its wrongdoing, Reuters reports. Mondelez argued the EU case concerned historical, isolated incidents, most of which stopped or were remedied well in advance of the Commission’s investigation. “This historical matter is not representative of who we are and the strong culture of compliance for which we strive,” a Mondelez spokesperson was quoted.

“We are determined to uphold fundamental freedoms in the European Union and to ensure that European citizens have access to the biggest variety at the lowest prices that the market can offer,” the news agency quotes EU antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager, who spoke at a press conference.

According to the EC, Mondelez limited the territories or customers to which seven wholesale customers could resell its products between 2012 and 2019 and also prevented 10 exclusive distributors in some EU countries from replying to sale requests from customers in other EU countries between 2006 and 2020.

The company also denied supplying a German broker to prevent the resale of chocolate tablet products in four countries where prices were higher, from 2015 to 2019. A similar practice was reported for the Netherlands, to stop products from being imported into Belgium.

Read more: Financial Times: EU to fine Mondelez for blocking cross-border sales

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