EU to step up antitrust pressure

EUROPEAN UNION authorities, which recently imposed hefty fines on chipmaker Intel and utilities E.ON and GDF Suez, intend to increase pressure on these sectors, the EU’s antitrust chief said yesterday.

The European Commission, tasked with ensuring fair play in the EU, will also target erring drug-makers and transport companies that breach EU antitrust rules, Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes said. “You will see us continuing to look deeply at key sectors such as pharmaceuticals, energy, transport and technology,” she said at a think-tank in Dublin.