Fine: Intel demands interest from EU

An EU fine imposed on Intel has been declared null and void by a court. Intel is now demanding interest on the money already paid.

Fine of 1.06 billion euros

The EU Commission had imposed a fine of 1.06 billion euros on Intel in 2009, claiming that the company had exploited its dominant position over rival AMD. Intel defended itself against the accusations, but had to pay the fine provisionally. An appeal filed by Intel in 2014 was initially rejected. In 2016, however, an EU expert concluded that the case had to be reopened because the allegations had not been sufficiently examined. In January of this year, a court finally ruled that the fine must be withdrawn because Intel’s objections had not been sufficiently examined. The EU did not appeal this decision and subsequently repaid the fine. It also paid 38 million euros in interest.

Intel claims 593 million euros

Intel, however, has made a much higher demand: The company is demanding an interest payment of 593 million euros from the EU. Intel justifies this demand with calculations based on the refinancing interest rate of the European Central Bank between May 2009 and February 2022. The EU Commission has not yet publicly commented on Intel’s demand. Outside of the dispute over fines and interest rates, however, the relationship between the EU and Intel appears to be good: just recently, the company received 6.8 billion euros in subsidies from the EU and the federal government for the construction of a factory in Magdeburg.