EU targets consumer compensation

The EU wants to reduce the hurdles consumers face when seeking compensation

The European Commission has set out proposals that it hopes will facilitate compensation for victims of cartels.

The commission wants legal barriers to compensation to be removed, saying that "victims are foregoing... several billions of euros a year".

EU Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes said she thought consumer groups were likely to bring most cartel cases under the new system.

Most such cases in Europe are initiated by the commission, not privately.

This is in contrast to the situation in the US, where individuals bring 80% of all cases regarding price fixing.

"We have the luxury of learning from your experience in this area and it's no great secret that aren't all positive," said Ms Kroes to a group of lawyers in the US.

She said the European plan should complement public enforcement without the "potential excesses" of the US system.

In the past six months the EU has fined four of the world's biggest glass manufacturers 486.9m euros for price fixing, while five firms were fined almost 250m euros for fixing the price of the rubber used in goods such as shoe soles to condoms.

The public has until July 15 to comment on the proposals.