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German Fragrance Maker Symrise, Contests EU Dawn Raids In Court

By  |  July 3, 2023

German company Symrise has appealed the dawn raids carried out by EU antitrust regulators four months ago and has requested the annulment of the information collected during the raids from Europe’s second-highest court.

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    According to Reuters, the European Commission announced in March a series of raids on companies suspected of participating in a fragrance cartel for household and personal care product manufacturing.

    The EU competition enforcer did not disclose the names of the companies. The Swiss competition agency, along with the Commission, the US Department of Justice Antitrust Division, and the UK Competition and Markets Authority, conducted raids on Symrise, Givaudan, Firmenich (which is merging with Dutch chemicals company DSM), and International Flavors & Fragrances based in the US.

    Read more: Regulators In Switzerland, UK, US & EU Probe Fragrance Groups

    Symrise has requested the Luxembourg-based General Court, which is Europe’s second-highest court, to nullify the Commission’s decision that ordered the raids. This information can be found in a filing in the EU Official Journal.

    The company stated that the decision was arbitrary, as the Commission lacked sufficient evidence suggesting reasonable grounds for suspecting the applicant’s involvement in any violation of competition law.

    The action was considered a violation of fundamental rights related to private premises and privacy, as it had no specified time limit.