In its decision of 1 April 2025, the European Commission found that a number of car manufacturers had participated in a cartel concerning the recycling of end-of-life vehicles in the EEA and imposed fines totalling EUR 458 million.
In parallel proceedings, the UK’s CMA imposed fines totalling GBP 77.7 million (approx. EUR 93 million) in a decision also dated 1 April 2025.
As a result of its early and extensive cooperation with the European Commission and the CMA as a leniency applicant, Mercedes-Benz was able to completely avoid a fine that would otherwise have been imposed on the company.
The European Commission’s decision can be found here: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_25_881
The CMA’s decision can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/car-industry-settles-competition-law-case
The following Gleiss Lutz antitrust team assisted Mercedes-Benz in this regard: Dr. Ulrich Denzel (partner, Brussels), Dr. Gregor Wecker (counsel, both lead, both Stuttgart), Dr. Moritz Holm-Hadulla (partner, Munich), Dr. Christian von Köckritz (partner, Brussels), Dr. Martin Raible (partner, Brussels/Düsseldorf), Dr. Laura Roßmann (counsel), Helen Haffner, Dr. Andreas Schüssel, José Benitez Fernandez (all Stuttgart), Lukas Diestel (Hamburg), Yannick Edelmann (Stuttgart), Carl Schmidt (Munich).
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