Competition authority

Construction cartel: fine of millions for Tyrolean company fixed

In the construction cartel case, the Cartel Court has imposed another legally binding fine at the request of the Federal Competition Authority (BWB). The Tyrolean company Hans Bodner Baugesellschaft from Kufstein must now actually pay a fine of 1.05 million euros.

The BWB announced on Tuesday that the company had directly participated in price fixing and coordination as well as market sharing from at least the end of 2010 until mid-July 2015. The criminal complaint had already become known in April.

Road construction primarily affected
The uncovered cartel affects the construction industry throughout Austria, with road construction being the main sector involved. Both public and private clients are affected. A large number of construction projects are involved and the BWB's investigations are ongoing.

Penalties totaling 180 million euros
So far, penalties of a good 180 million euros have been imposed. Of this amount, 62.35 million euros were imposed on the Porr construction group alone, 27.15 million euros on Swietelsky and 26.33 million euros on Habau. Because new evidence has come to light, the proceedings against the Strabag construction group have been reopened. As a key witness in the construction cartel case, Strabag had received a reduced fine of 45.4 million euros; the amount of the fine in the reopened proceedings is still open.