OR Macedonia Thrace Brewery (ZMTH) announced today that he won a legal battle against her Heineken and claims compensation of more than 160 million euros.

Specifically, in her statement she points out: “by decision of Dutch Court vindicated Makedonia Thrace Brewery by affirming Heineken’s joint and several liability for the anti-competitive practices of its subsidiary, Athens Brewery. The lawsuit filed by ZMTH in 2017 successfully overcame all procedural hurdles raised by Heineken, paving the way for the calculation of the amount of compensation that Heineken and Athens Brewery should pay jointly, with ZMTH claims damages of more than 160 million euros”.

In the same announcement it is emphasized that “the Court of First Instance of Amsterdam ruled that Heineken is part of the same economic entity (“single economic unit”) with its Greek subsidiary, in which it exercises decisive influence, and as such is “jointly and severally” responsible for the abuse of Athenian Brewery’s dominant position in Greece, as confirmed by decision 590/2014 of the Greek Competition Commission. The action is a continuation of the decision issued by the Greek Competition Commission in 2015, which imposed on Athens Brewery the largest fine in its history, amounting to 31.4 million euros, for abusive practices of a dominant position. This decision is a landmark decision both for the brewing industry and more broadly, as it sets a global precedent for claiming damages directly from a parent company for subsidiary activity. At the same time, it is an emblematic victory against monopolistic practices internationally, creating a framework for the balancing of forces within markets at the local and global level.”

Dimitris Chris, Director of Business Development and member of the Board of Directors of Macedonia – Thrace Brewery, said:

“We feel completely vindicated by yesterday’s decision. It is a victory for all of Europe’s independent breweries that have been confronted with the abuses and delinquencies of the multinational giants. The decision confirms what we argued for the joint and several liability of Heineken and Athens Brewery in Greece”.

ZMTH’s Director of Corporate Affairs & Communication, Nikolaos Bilios said: “This is a historic moment for Greek brewing, as it is a game-changer for the industry and practically empowers independent microbreweries internationally trying to compete in a market dominated by large multinational companies.” .