Then France should not have allowed Unilever to merge so much, or at least guaranteed competition in France. If this works, they must have had either state support or a monopoly position.
Example: supermarkets where I live co-ordinate their prices. There are 5 big chains and they all increased prices in tandem (and margins, so nothing to do with increased costs). They get slapped with a 100 miliion euro fine every year or two, but what do they care? It's a drop compared to the amount they profit from the cartelisation.
