Record cartel fine

Booking.com has to pay 413 million euros in Spain!

The booking portal Booking.com has been fined millions in Spain. On Tuesday, the competition authority (CNMC) imposed a fine of 413 million euros on the Dutch subsidiary of the US group for "abuse of its dominant position" on the Spanish market.

This is the highest fine ever imposed by the CNMC. Booking had imposed a series of "unfair terms and conditions" on Spanish hotels over the past five years, the CNMC explained. The company had harmed the hotels and also prevented other online travel service providers from entering the market or growing with additional mechanisms on its booking platform.

The fine is made up of two parts: 206.6 million euros each for the unfair terms and conditions and for the competition violations against competing providers.

60 percent market share
Booking.com is the European market leader in online travel bookings with a market share of 60 percent. In May, the EU added the company to the list of the most important digital companies covered by the new Digital Markets Act (DMA). The new rules are intended to create fair competitive conditions and more choice for European consumers.

In Hungary, the competition authority had already fined Booking millions for unfair competition in 2020. This month, the Hungarian authority added another fine because Booking was still breaking the rules.