Hands off my coffee break: BEUC welcomes European Commission decision to fine Mondelēz for cross-border trade restrictions

The European Commission has fined multinational food company Mondelēz €337.5 million for hindering cross-border trade in chocolate products like Milka and Toblerone, Oreo biscuits and Jacobs coffee throughout the EU’s Single Market. According to the Commission, for several years Mondelēz took measures to prevent traders from buying and selling Mondelēz products in other EU countries to maintain higher prices, harming consumers. These measures prevented suppliers from making full use of the Single Market.

The Commission has decided that the measures taken by Mondelēz were illegal under EU rules on fair competition. These rules outlaw abuse of market dominance as well as agreements and practices that affect trade between Member States and which prevent, restrict or distort competition within the EU’s Single Market.

Monique Goyens, Director General of European consumer organisation BEUC, commented:

“It’s unfair and simply wrong for consumers in some EU countries to have to pay more for their chocolate, biscuits and coffee than in other countries because of a company’s illegal behaviour. We therefore strongly welcome the Commission’s action to use the EU’s competition rules to protect consumers by cracking down on companies that make it difficult for shops and suppliers to take advantage of the Single Market and cheaper prices in other EU countries. Companies like Mondelēz get huge benefits from trading within the EU’s Single Market, and it is unacceptable that consumers can not enjoy those benefits because a company has created artificial trade barriers to inflate prices.”