Heineken has received the largest penalty out of a group of beer producers found guilty by the European Commission of operating a cartel in the Netherlands.

The Commission fined Heineken, Royal Grolsch and Bavaria NV a total €273.8 million (£185.2 million) for colluding to fix beer prices in the Netherlands during 1996 and 1999. Fellow beer maker, InBev, escaped a penalty after blowing the whistle on the cartel.

Heineken has been fined €219.27 million, compared to the €31.65 million fine levied at Royal Grolsch and Bavaria NV's €22.85 penalty because the company has the largest share of the Dutch beer market.

Each of the companies had their fines reduced by €100,000 because of the "unduly long" seven-year investigation which began after InBev blew the whistle when it was found to be fixing prices in Belgium.

The companies are charged with meeting between 1996 and 1999 to fix beer prices in the Netherlands, and to carve up customers between them. The Commission charges that the four companies held a number of unofficial meetings where they coordinated prices on beer purchased in bars and supermarkets.

The crackdown is the latest example of the determination of Neelie Kroes, the European Competition Commissioner, to use her antitrust powers to punish companies that flaunt European rules and prevent consumers benefiting from lower prices.

Last year, the Commission imposed fines worth €1.85 billion (£1.25 billion) on companies involved in cartels. Already this year the penalties have reached €1.7 billion.

The companies now have two months to appeal the decision. Heineken and Grolsch both said they would appeal.

Heineken said it was surprised by the EU’s decision, which it found “excessive and unjustified”, given the strong arguments it had put forward to the European Commission.

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