<p>Companies in Italy, Belgium, France, Austria and Germany were among those to face surprise inspections from teams representing the EU. Among the leading European energy firms affected were Gaz de France, Germany&#0039;s RWE and the Belgian utility Distrigas, which the European Commission revealed on May 16 is already facing charges on antitrust grounds.<br /><br />However the EU has so far not named the other companies involved. <br /><br />The raids were based on suspicions of anti-competitive behavior, indulging in restrictive market practices or abuse of a dominant position, the commission&#0039;s spokesman Jonathan Todd told reporters.<br /><br />The fact that a company is raided does not mean that it is guilty of any anti-competitive behavior, he added.</p>