The Italian Competition Authority has opened an investigation against six major Italian companies that produce and sell rebar and steel mesh. The companies in question are Alfa Acciai, ORI Martin, Feralpi Siderurgica, Industrie Riunite Odolesi, Ferriera Valsabbia and Stefana.
According to a statement issued by the Italian Competition Authority, "The process addresses the issue of a horizontal agreement in breach of Article 101 TFEU, coordinating at least two components of sales price for both rebar and mesh (i.e., base price and size extras). Such coordination would have taken place with the participation, from 2010, of representatives of the six companies at fortnightly meetings of the Commission on Steel Product Prices at the Chamber of Commerce of Brescia, Italy." The investigation will be completed by December 31, 2016.
On October 28 and 29, officials of the Italian Competition Authority performed a series of inspections at the abovementioned companies, at the Brescia Industrial Association (AIB), and at the Chamber of Commerce of Brescia.
In 2009, the European Commission fined Alfa Acciai, Ferriere Nord, Feralpi, IRO, Leali, Lucchini, Riva and Ferriera Valsabbia a total of €83.25 million for an infringement lasting from December 1989 to May 2000. They were accused of having "fixed various elements of the price of rebar", and of having "limited or controlled outputs and sales".
Commenting on the latest investigation, Antonio Gozzi, president of Italian steel producers association Federacciai, stated that the hypothesis of a cartel among rebar and mesh producers is "unlikely due to the current situation of overcapacity in the rebar market". He expressed "full and complete confidence in the Competition Authority", stating he is certain that “everything will be clarified in the best way."