The Amsterdam court ordered Heineken to pay MTB 111.2 million euros on Wednesday, 21 October 2026, according to NOS and AD, and Heineken has announced an appeal.
The court set MTB's lost income at 43.3 million euros and interest at 67.9 million euros according to NOS and AD, while NRC gives 67.8 million in interest.
The Greek competition authority found that AB abused its dominant position between 1998 and 2014, and AB received a 31.5 million euro fine at the end of 2015 according to NOS and AD.
Heineken argued the events were time-barred, a defence the court rejected, and disputes the interest level as not matching real market conditions.
On Wednesday, 21 October 2026, the court in Amsterdam ordered Heineken to pay 111.2 million euros in damages to Macedonian Thrace Brewery (MTB), according to NOS and AD, while Der Standard rounds the sum to 111 million. The judgment holds the Dutch parent company liable for the conduct of its Greek subsidiary Athenian Brewery (AB), which the court found had abused a dominant position on the Greek beer market. Heineken said the same day that it will appeal, stating that it does not agree with the reasoning behind the judgment.
The court set MTB's lost income at 43.3 million euros. Interest comes on top of that, which NOS and AD put at 67.9 million euros, while NRC reports 67.8 million. According to the articles, the court tied the size of the interest to the length of the abuse, which began in 1998 and continued for years. MTB had initially demanded 160 million euros according to NOS, while Telegraaf reports an initial claim of 100 million euros. Since the Greek fine, competitors including MTB have together demanded 478 million euros in damages, according to NOS.
The Greek competition authority found that AB abused its market position between 1998 and 2014. NOS and AD report that AB received a fine of 31.5 million euros at the end of 2015, while Telegraaf puts the fine at nearly 27 million euros. The articles say AB signed exclusivity deals with shops and with restaurant and hotel chains, and offered discounts to retailers that sold no competitors' beer. The former Dutch head of AB in Athens and his successor were also fined for these practices. The Amsterdam court had already ruled in 2024 that Heineken is responsible for the abuse, and an earlier ruling found that MTB had suffered damage.
Heineken argued that the events had become time-barred, a defence the Amsterdam court rejected, according to NRC. The company also contends that the damages do not match the economic evidence, MTB's business situation or developments in the Greek beer market. Heineken further says that sales of both brands stayed largely unchanged after the Greek authority's finding, according to Telegraaf. MTB's chief executive Demetri Chriss welcomed the verdict, saying it largely corrects matters after almost three decades. Telegraaf reports that the ruling could open the way for claims by competitors in other countries. Separately, the Danish brewer Carlsberg has claimed damages over lost income at its Greek subsidiary Olympic Brewery, a case that NOS describes as being at an early stage. Because Heineken has appealed, the amount awarded is not yet final.
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A court in Amsterdam ruled that Heineken must pay damages to the Greek brewer Macedonian Thrace Brewery, holding the Dutch parent liable for abuses by its Greek subsidiary between 1998 and 2014. Heineken has announced an appeal.
AI text based on reports by der Standard, NOS, NRC and other publishers. Published .