Macedonia-Thrace Brewery: Won court case against Heineken – Claims €160 million

Macedonia-Thrace Brewery (ZMT) announced today that it won a legal battle against Heineken NV and is seeking compensation of over €160 million.

Specifically, in a statement, it noted: “By its decision, the Dutch court upheld the Macedonia-Thrace Brewery, confirming Heineken’s joint liability for the anti-competitive practices of its subsidiary, Athens Brewery. The lawsuit filed by ZMT in 2017 successfully overcame all procedural hurdles raised by Heineken, paving the way for calculating the compensation that Heineken and Athens Brewery must jointly pay, with ZMT claiming damages exceeding €160 million.”

The statement emphasizes that “the Amsterdam District Court ruled that Heineken is part of the same economic entity (‘single economic unit’) as its Greek subsidiary, over which it exerts decisive influence, and as such is ‘jointly and severally’ responsible for the abuse of dominance by Athens Brewery in Greece, as confirmed by the 590/2014 decision of the Greek Competition Commission.

The lawsuit follows the decision made by the Greek Competition Commission in 2015, which imposed on Athens Brewery the largest fine in its history, amounting to €31.4 million, for practices abusing its dominant position. This current decision is a milestone for both the brewing industry and beyond, as it sets a global precedent for claiming damages directly from a parent company for the activities of a subsidiary. At the same time, it represents a landmark victory against monopolistic practices internationally, creating a framework for balancing power within markets at both local and global levels.”

Dimitris Kris, Director of Business Development and member of the Board of Directors of Macedonia-Thrace Brewery, stated: “We feel completely vindicated by yesterday’s decision. It is a victory for all independent breweries in Europe that have faced the abuses and violations of multinational giants. The decision confirms what we argued about the joint responsibility of Heineken and Athens Brewery in Greece.”

The Director of Corporate Affairs & Communications of ZMT, Nikolaos Bilios, said: “This is a historic moment for Greek brewing, as it changes the dynamics of the industry and practically empowers independent microbreweries worldwide that are trying to compete in a market dominated by large multinational companies.”

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