The European Commission is conducting surprise inspections at a consultancy firm in two Member States as part of an investigation into potential violations of EU antitrust rules that prohibit cartels and restrictive business practices.

The Commission is concerned that the consultancy firm may have facilitated or instigated suspected price coordination among tyre manufacturers, who allegedly used public communications channels to collude.

Accompanied by national competition authorities, the Commission officials are taking this preliminary step to probe anticompetitive practices, emphasizing that these inspections do not imply guilt or prejudge the investigation's outcome.

There is no set deadline for completing inquiries into anticompetitive conduct, with factors like case complexity, cooperation level of companies, and defense rights exercise influencing the duration. The Commission's leniency program offers immunity or reduced fines to cartel participants who report and cooperate.