Last year marked something of a breakthrough for Finland's Competition Authority. Fines have historically been fairly low when compared with other jurisdictions because of a reluctance on the part of the judiciary to levy high fines. But in 2009, the country's Supreme Administrative Court fined asphalt producers a record €82.55 million for allegedly participating in a cartel. In December, the Market Court found a group of forestry companies guilty of fixing prices and exchanging information, and fined them €51 million. Both fines were in line with those proposed by the authority. "The authority has clearly gained both confidence and credibility in its cartel decisions," says one competition specialist. Practitioners also say the courts have felt under pressure to follow the upward fining trend of the European Commission and other member states.