* EU probe includes price fixing, market sharing
* Probe also covers possible blocking of imports and exports
(Adds details, company comments)
By Foo Yun Chee
BRUSSELS, Dec 10 (Reuters) - EU antitrust regulators opened
an investigation into cement manufacturers with operations in 10
EU countries on Friday, on suspicion they may have fixed prices
and blocked imports or exports.
The European Commission did not identify the firms, but
Holcim <HOLN.VX>, Lafarge <LAFP.PA> of France, Mexico's Cemex
<CMXCPO.MX><CX.N>, Germany's HeidelbergCement AG <HEIG.DE>,
Buzzi Unicem <BZU.MI> of Italy and its Dyckerhoff unit <DYKG.DE>
all said they were subject to the investigation.
The probe followed raids by the European Commission on
several companies in September last year and in November 2008.
"The Commission intends to investigate in particular
possible import/export restrictions, market sharing and price
coordination in the markets for cement and related products,"
the EU executive said in a statement.
The EU regulator said its probe included firms in Austria,
Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg,
the Netherlands, Spain and Britain and related to cement,
cement-based products and other materials.
World No. 3 cement maker Cemex said on Thursday it was being
investigated, but denied any wrongdoing. []
Germany's HeidelbergCement AG also denied the allegations.
"HeidelbergCement is working with the EU Commission and has,
on multiple occasions, supplied the Commission with material (to
aid the investigation)," it said in a statement.
"HeidelbergCement expects to be able to prove the
allegations to be unfounded."
Lafarge said it had been contacted by EU investigators, but
pointed to the Commission statement, saying the mere fact of an
investigation did not mean there was any proof of wrongdoing.
And Holcim confirmed it was being investigated, but would
not comment further.
Agostino Pieressa, from Buzzi Unicem <BZU.MI>, said the
company was responding to the EU's request for information,
which covers the period of 2000-2010. It would supply
information for Italy, while its German unit, Dyckerhoff, would
give answers on operations in Belgium, the Czech Republic,
Germany, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.
The Commission can fine companies up to 10 percent of global
turnover for breaching EU antitrust rules.
It slapped a total fine of 478 million euros ($633 million)
on Lafarge, Britain's BPB, Germany's Knauf and Belgium's Gyproc
in 2002 for operating a cartel in the market for plasterboard
for builders. []
(Reporting by Foo Yun Chee, editing by Rex Merrifield and Mike
Nesbit)
(Additional reporting by Josie Cox in Frankfurt and Gilles
Guillaume in Paris, Nigel Tutt in Milan and Oliver Hirt in
Zurich)
($1=.7551 euros)
