An Amsterdam court has ordered Heineken and its Greek subsidiary Athenian Brewery to pay €111 million to Macedonian Thra...

An Amsterdam court has ordered Heineken and its Greek subsidiary Athenian Brewery to pay €111 million to Macedonian Thrace Brewery (MTB), the independent Greek producer of Vergina beer, over anti-competitive practices that ran for nearly two decades. The ruling breaks down into €43 million in direct damages and €68 million in accumulated interest. The Amsterdam District Court found Heineken jointly liable alongside Athenian Brewery, which Heineken controls at a 98.8% ownership stake, treating both as a single economic undertaking under EU competition law. The case traces back to a 2015 ruling by the Hellenic Competition Commission, which found Athenian Brewery had abused its dominant position in the Greek beer market from 1998 to 2014. The commission issued a record €31.5 million fine at the time, after finding the company had locked out rivals like MTB through exclusive supply contracts with distributors and retailers, loyalty schemes, and shelf-space deals with supermarkets. MTB, based in Komotini in north-eastern Greece and the producer of Vergina beer, filed its civil damages claim in Amsterdam in February 2017. Dimitrios Chriss, MTB's Director of Corporate Development, called the ruling a victory for free markets and said it proves an independent brewery can hold a multinational parent accountable in its own home court. Heineken has strongly disputed the judgment and says it plans to appeal. The court rejected Heineken's argument that enforcing the ruling while an appeal is pending could overcompensate MTB. The consequences for Heineken extend beyond this judgment. Austria's Federal Competition Authority has launched parallel proceedings against Heineken and its Austrian subsidiary Brau Union over alleged similar conduct. The Hellenic Competition Commission has also opened a new investigation into the Greek beer market covering the period after its original 2015 decision. Athenian Brewery's Greek portfolio includes Alfa, Mamos, and Nymfi alongside the international brands Amstel and Heineken. #VerginaBeer #Heineken #EUCompetitionLaw