Author: 21st Century Competition

Germany: Officials clash with EU on energy surcharges (Competition Policy International)

The European Commission is reportedly pressuring Germany to rethink plans to impose a surcharge on energy costs to fund green energy, saying the proposals could breach state aid rules, but Germany has reportedly vowed to push back against the Commission’s views.

Germany has proposed to issue fees to energy customers to …read more

US: Metals group makes push into aerospace (Competition Policy International)

Commodity metals manufacturer Alcoa announced Thursday it has reached a deal to acquire Firth Rixson, a maker of aerospace components, in a $2.85 billion acquisition, reports say.

Alcoa is looking to strengthen its operations in higher-margin finished goods, and acquiring the UK firm will redirect its business, according to reports. Firth …read more

EU: Commission threatens foreign steel import taxes (Competition Policy International)

The European Commission is reportedly considering imposing import taxes on stainless steel products from China and Taiwan in efforts to protect domestic competition in the market.

The EU authority has already launched an inquiry into the foreign importers to examine whether the companies are dumping their products in the EU at …read more

South Korea: Watchdog eyes international price-fixers (Competition Policy International)

South Korea’s competition authority has reportedly launched an investigation into manufacturers of bearing parts based in Japan and Germany on suspicion of price manipulation.

According to an unnamed government source, the Fair Trade Commission are probing bearing makers for price collusion, affecting manufacturers within South Korea. An official at the FTC …read more