Brussels, 8 September 2025 — The European Commission has fined French companies Eurofield SAS and its former parent Unanime Sport SAS a total of around €172,000 for failing to provide complete information during an antitrust probe into the synthetic turf sector.
The penalty, announced on Monday, is the first time the Commission has imposed a fine under Article 23(1)(b) of Regulation 1/2003 for the provision of incomplete information in response to an official request.
The case stems from a June 2023 request for information sent to Eurofield as part of the turf industry investigation. After comparing the company’s reply with evidence gathered during unannounced inspections, the Commission concluded that the response was incomplete. A second, formal request issued in October 2023 also received a deficient reply.
In November 2024, the Commission opened proceedings against Eurofield and Unanime Sport for a suspected procedural breach. The companies subsequently admitted liability, submitted the missing documents, and cooperated with investigators. In recognition of that cooperation, the Commission cut the fine by 30%, setting the final penalty at 0.3% of the firms’ combined turnover.
“The infringement committed by Eurofield is serious,” the Commission said in its decision. “Requests for information are one of the main investigative tools … Omitting information may seriously hamper the Commission’s ability to effectively investigate anti-competitive conduct.”
Teresa Ribera, Executive Vice-President for Clean, Just and Competitive Transition, underlined the importance of compliance. “Information requests are a vital tool to uncover antitrust infringements. Today’s decision marks the first time we fine a company for such a procedural breach … We will not hesitate to pursue similar cases in the future,” she said.
The Commission stressed that its broader investigation into the synthetic turf industry is still ongoing and separate from the procedural fine.
Past procedural breaches have led to much higher penalties: €15.9 million in 2024 for International Fragrances and Flavours over deleted inspection data, €38 million in 2008 for E.On, and €8 million in 2011 for Suez Environnement and Lyonnaise des Eaux after they broke Commission seals.
Further details on the case (AT.40966) will be published in the Commission’s public register of competition cases.
Source: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_25_2022
