The European Commission has confirmed that its inspectors raided six European manufacturers of plastic film, as part of investigations into alleged price-fixing.<P>Officials “began simultaneous surprise inspections” on 22 August at the premises of six manufacturers in Austria, Denmark, the Netherlands, Italy, Sweden and the UK, the Commission said. The aim was to “uncover evidence of suspected price-fixing in the European market of plastic film used in the industrial and agricultural sectors”.<P>Investigations were at an early stage, the Commission said, without clarifying whether it found any evidence or naming the companies concerned.<P>A UK company, British Polythene Industries, confirmed that it had been visited by Commission officials and was cooperating with their requests for information.<P>There was no strict timetable for finishing antitrust inquiries, which depend on whether evidence is found, the companies involved cooperate and on the complexity of each case, the Commission said.<P><IMG SRC="/images/icons/text_document.gif" hspace="5" width="23" height="32" ALT="Members only">