NEXANS : Press release

Press release

Paris, April 2nd 2014 - Nexans has been informed of the European Commission decision announced today following its investigation into alleged anti-competitive behavior of cable manufacturers in the high voltage submarine and underground power cable sector. The Commission imposed a fine on the major European and Asian industry actors.  The fine on Nexans France was 70 670 000 euro, of which 65 767 000 euro is subject to joint payment liability of Nexans as parent company.

The Commission investigation commenced in 2009 and the period covered by the decision against Nexans France dates from November 2000 to January 2009. The cables concerned by the decision were narrowed from the initial investigation, following Nexans' submissions on scope, to underground cables at voltages of 110 kV and above, and submarine cables at voltages of 33kv and above. Nexans France recorded a 200 million euro provision in its statutory financial statements, included in the Group's consolidated financial statements, since June 30, 2011. Since payment must be made within 3 months even if an appeal is filed, the Group's net debt will be impacted in 2014.

Nexans will review the voluminous decision in detail to determine its next course of action which could include appeal. The Group will evaluate the consequences of the decision for possible follow on claims as well as the impact of this decision and other recent developments in the other ongoing competition authority investigations in the same cable sector in the United States, Canada, Brazil, Australia and Korea, which consequences as previously reported could have a material adverse effect on the results of Nexans and its financial situation. The Group will communicate further at the time of its first semester results.

"The Commission regrettably did not take into account the lack of effect on customers, which it is not required to find in order to apply sanctions", said Nexans CEO Frédéric Vincent and Nexans COO Arnaud Poupart-Lafarge in a joint statement. "We confirm our requirement of strict adherence to our ethical values as set out in Nexans Code of Ethics and Business Conduct and Antitrust Guidelines which are very clear.  The Group is fully committed to compliance with competition laws and operates a strong dedicated competition compliance program across its subsidiaries worldwide, which we reinforced in 2009 to ensure that our business activities are conducted in compliance with the highest ethical and legal standards."

About Nexans
Nexans brings energy to life through an extensive range of cables and cabling solutions that deliver increased performance for our customers worldwide. Nexans' teams are committed to a partnership approach that supports customers in four main business areas: Power transmission and distribution (submarine and land), Energy resources (Oil & Gas, Mining and Renewables), Transportation (Road, Rail, Air, Sea) and Building (Commercial, Residential and Data Centers). Nexans' strategy is founded on continuous innovation in products, solutions and services, employee development, customer training and the introduction of safe, low -environmental- impact industrial processes.
In 2013, Nexans became the first cable player to create a Foundation to introduce sustained initiatives for access to energy for disadvantaged communities worldwide.
We have an industrial presence in 40 countries and commercial activities worldwide, employing close to 26,000 people and generating sales in 2013 of nearly 6.7 billion euros. Nexans is listed on NYSE Euronext Paris, compartment A.
For more information, please consult: www.nexans.com:
http://www.nexans.com/
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