The Dutch competition watchdog said today it had fined four major tobacco makers including Philip Morris and British American Tobacco a total of €82m for "distorting competition."
In a statement, the Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) said the four had illegally exchanged information about future pricing plans in the 2008-2011 period.
British American Tobacco was fined €31.2m, Philip Morris was fined €27.5m, JTI was fined €13m and Van Nelle, part of ITN, was fined €10.4m, the ACM said.
It said that all four cigarette makers have filed objections against the decision.
