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The
latest move by the European Commission came after a two-year
long investigation and is part of its efforts to trim such fees
and boost cross-border trade. Regulators on both sides of the
Atlantic have waged lengthy battles against the charges.
MasterCard capped its cross-border interchange fees, which are
levied on retailers' credit and debit card transactions, in
2009, after the EU competition enforcer said the high level of
charges breached antitrust rules.
The Commission said it had sent a charge sheet known as a
statement of objections to the company related to two issues.
"We have concerns both in relation to the rules MasterCard
applies to cross-border transactions within the EU, as well as
the fees charged to retailers for receiving payments made with
cards issued outside Europe," European Competition Commissioner
Margrethe Vestager said in a statement.
MasterCard said: "We will be formally responding to the
statement of objections and are also working with the European
Commission on the issue as part of an ongoing constructive
dialogue."
(Reporting by Julia Fioretti and Foo Yun Chee, editing by Robin
Emmott and Elaine
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