BRUSSELS -(Dow Jones)- The European Commission has opened an antitrust probe over agreements between Honeywell International Inc. (HON) and E.I. DuPont de Nemours & Co. (DD) over the development of a new refrigerant to be used in vehicle air-conditioning systems, the European Union said Friday. In a statement, the Commission also said it is investigating whether Honeywell may "hold and abuse a dominant position" over the refrigerant. The case involves a refrigerant known as 1234yf. It was developed to replace an existing refrigerant that has fallen foul of new EU anti-global warming rules. The Commission said it investigating complaints that the two companies "entered into anti-competitive arrangements as regards the development of the new generation of refrigerants." In particular the Commission will probe if "joint development, licensing and production arrangements" agreed between the two firms infringe EU antitrust law. The EU's antitrust body will also look at whether Honeywell engaged in "deceptive conduct" during the evaluation of 1234yf between 2007 and 2009, the Commission said. There are concerns that Honeywell failed to disclose its patents while the refrigerant was being assessed and also failed to grant licenses on "fair and reasonable terms." -By Laurence Norman, Dow Jones Newswires; +32 (0)2 741 1481; laurence.norman@dowjones.com
