The European Commission is mulling the launch of a competition probe into whether price-fixing by retailers is driving up food prices in Europe.
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EU monetary affairs commissioner Joaquin Aluminia told journalists in Brussels that an investigation was being considered. “We are considering [opening] an internal market inquiry into how the retail sector is functioning.”
Such an investigation could be a serious matter for food retailers, as previous sectoral inquires, for instance into energy, helped spark legislation demanding additional liberalisation and also legal action by the Commission to ensure competition.
The Spanish commissioner’s comments follow a European Parliament call for the Commission to investigate possible illegal collusion over prices between EU retailers.
Aluminia added national governments should also assess competition problems within their retail sectors. “Governments can do a lot of things for improving the functioning of markets,” he said.
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