This adds another twist to a row between the two companies after Siemens pulled out of the Areva NP unit, the world’s largest builder of atomic power plants, and struck a deal with Russia’s Rosatom to develop nuclear reactors. The European Commission will now examine the legality of agreements and contracts between the two companies not to compete head-to-head after they both went their separate ways. Areva complained last year that Siemens’ new deal with Rosatom broke the terms of a 2001 non-competition clause.
Areva spokeswoman Patricia Marie said the EU would examine that agreement “more closely but it doesn’t mean that the non-competition clause is illicit.” “We have confidence in the solidity of our position,” she said. If the EU executive finds that they violate fair competition rules, it could force the companies to drop the agreements under threat of fines of up to 10 percent of the companies’ global revenue. Regulators will focus on contracts activated after Areva agreed to buy out Siemens’ 34-percent stake. The German engineering giant pulled out of the unit, complaining that its minority shareholding didn’t give it enough say over the business. The end of the Areva-Siemens deal also showed the fading of the once-strong political and economic cooperation between France and Germany.
