EC notified of changes to SoC

EUROPEAN Commission confirmed on Monday that it has been informed by De Beers of changes to its Supplier of Choice distribution system. But it declined to provide details of the modifications. The EC is investigating the demand-driven policy, which has triggered several complaints from companies and organisations in the diamond industry for alleged abuse of dominant power.

De Beers is the world�s biggest rough diamond supplier with a market share of around 50%. It is active in diamond mining, marketing and retail. De Beers is understood to be reviewing several aspects of Supplier of Choice, such as the role of the Ombudsman, in order to persuade the competition authorities in Brussels that the changes are addressing the issues raised by the complainants.