June 7, 2024: It has been an eventful week in Brussels with this year’s EUROBAT forum — the annual gathering of Europe’s top battery leaders, policymakers and stakeholders — taking place just yards from one of the most crucial EU hearings this industry has anticipated in recent times.

The fact that a group of car starter battery giants were contesting accusations of fixing battery prices at a closed hearing across the road from the hotel where the trade association conference was taking place — at exactly the same time —  was an irony not lost on those attending.

“It’s THE story of the week,” one insider told us. “Everyone wants to know what’s going on at the hearing but nobody is allowed to talk about it.”

Indeed, during the opening preambles one EUROBAT official appealed to the one hundred plus attendees in the room not to discuss what was going on at EU headquarters across the road.

EUROBAT’S reticence is perhaps not surprising. Batteries International reported back in December that EU competition chiefs had accused Clarios, Exide Technologies, Banner, Rombat, Fiamm Energy Technology and its predecessor Elettra of possible collusion to fix starter battery prices, aided by the trade association.

The European Commission launched the investigation into the alleged breaches of EU antitrust rules last November and the firms could potentially face substantial fines of up to 10% of their annual global turnover if it is concluded that there is sufficient evidence rules were broken.

The Commission said it was “concerned EUROBAT and its service provider, Kellen, were aware of the alleged conduct and actively contributed to it by assisting the battery manufacturers in creating and running the so-called EUROBAT premium system.”

The hearing is focused on the period between 2004 up to 2017. It is alleged the firms published and agreed to use new indices in their price negotiations with car producers, the aim of which was — allegedly — to fix an important element of the final battery prices.

But in breaking news during the week, Batteries International learnt that Clarios had been granted immunity by the EU in relation to the cartel probe, prompting hushed discussions in the hotel bar where the words “whistle blower” were overheard more than once. (Why do delegates never obey clear instructions from the organizers as to what they should talk about. And with whom?)

The highlight of EUROBAT’s annual forum is always the Tuesday night dinner traditionally held in an impressive local venue and this year’s was no exception.

Attendees strolled past EU headquarters from the hotel to the Brussels Museum of Natural Science, where drinks and canapés were enjoyed on a balcony overlooking the gardens.

Over dinner, held in the largest dinosaur exhibition gallery in Europe, we asked one EU official for an update on how the hearing was going. He smiled and replied, “Isn’t this wine good?”

When pressed on potential fines facing the companies contesting the accusations he did concede to say that if found guilty a fine of 10% of their global turnover would be “huge.”

The prehistoric dinosaur displays were an impressive backdrop to a delicious dinner. But as one delegate dryly commented — that with the result of the cartel hearing still hanging over proceedings — thank goodness we weren’t eating in the mammals gallery, because there was already a big enough elephant in the room.