The European Commission announced this Thursday, 6, that it had opened an investigation into possible collusion, violating European rules, between Deutsche Börse, the German group that operates the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, and the North American Nasdaq.
“The European Commission has opened a formal competition investigation to assess whether Deutsche Börse and Nasdaq violated EU competition rules by coordinating their behavior in the listing, trading and clearing of financial derivatives in the European Economic Area [EEE]”, announced the community executive in a statement.
Brussels said it was “concerned that the Deutsche Börse and Nasdaq entities may have entered into agreements or concerted practices not to compete in the EEA in relation to the listing, trading and clearing of certain derivatives” and, if confirmed, this violates European Union (EU) competition rules that prohibit cartels and restrictive commercial practices.