Division 1 Introduction

On 20 October 2005, the Commission adopted a decision relating to a proceeding under article 81 of the EC Treaty (the ‘Decision’). In accordance with the provisions of Article 30 of Regulation 1/2003, the Commission herewith publishes the names of the parties and the main content of the Decision, including any penalties imposed, having regard to the legitimate interest of undertakings in the protection of their business secrets. A non-confidential version of the full text of the Decision can be found in the authentic languages of the case and in the Commission's working languages at DG COMP web-site at http://europa.eu.int/comm/competition/index_en.html.

From 1995 until the beginning of 2002 four major Italian processors of raw tobacco, namely Deltafina, Dimon (now renamed Mindo), Transcatab and Romana Tabacchi hereinafter collectively referred to as ‘the processors’) entered into agreements and/or participated into concerted practices aimed at fixing the trading conditions for the purchase of raw tobacco in Italy (in respect of both direct purchases from producers and purchases from third packers), including price fixing and market sharing.

The Decision also considers two separate infringements, which took place at least between the beginning of 1999 and the end of 2001, consisting of the fixing by the professional association of Italian tobacco processors (Associazione Professionale Trasformatori Tabacchi Italiani, hereinafter ‘APTI’) of contract prices which it would negotiate, on behalf of its members, for the conclusion of Interprofessional Agreements with the Italian confederation of associations of raw tobacco producers, Unione Italiana Tabacco, (‘UNITAB’), and the fixing by UNITAB, of the prices which it would negotiate, on behalf of its members, with APTI for the conclusion of the same agreements.