EU steps up threat of antitrust action against Germany's E.On and Gaz de France

European Union regulators stepped up their threat of antitrust action against Germany's E.On. AG and France's Gaz de France on Thursday over allegations the two colluded to avoid selling natural gas in each other's home markets.

The European Commission sent the two companies an official complaint and asked them to explain their positions in answer to allegations the two shared out markets between them for gas piped from Russia on the MEGAL pipeline they jointly own. EU officials say this could have kept prices artificially high.

If EU regulators conclude that the companies did break antitrust rules by making an illegal market-sharing agreement, they could …