On March 30, 2007, the European Commission sent a Statement of Objections to several companies that manufacture bathroom fittings and fixtures in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands. Companies that received the Statement of Objections are alleged to have participated in a cartel in violation of Article 81 of the EC Treaty. The companies now have two months to proffer a written defense to the Commission’s charges, after which the Commission will take a final decision.