Last year the European Commission levied billions in fines against cartels in the glass industry, this year it raided companies in the special glass sector under suspicion of cartel activity. The EC didn’t reveal the names of the companies it raided, but said special glass sector refers to companies that produce glass “used for optical and electronics applications, both commercial and industrial.”

“The Commission has reason to believe that there may have been a violation in this sector of rules on restrictive business practices (Article 81),” the EC said in a prepared statement.

Commentary: The Commission pointed out that raids and inspections are a “preliminary step” in larger cartel and anti-trust investigations. Still, one has to be suspicious because of the high-profile raids and large dollar amount fines levied against glass companies at the end of last year. Although the information on the special glass sector raids is just now becoming known, the Commission admitted it began investigating in March of 2009, fresh off the case of the earlier, 2008 glass cartel.