The European Commission has sent a Statement of Objections and informed Brussels Airlines and TAP Portugal that the codeshare agreement they signed in 2009 on passenger services between Brussels and Lisbon restricted competition. According to the codeshare agreement, the airlines granted each other the right to sell an unlimited number of seats on each other's flights on the Brussels-Lisbon route. Prior to the agreement, Brussels Airlines and TAP Portugal were providing competing services and there were no other airlines operating on the route. The European Commission claims that the two airlines discussed reduction of number of seats and alignment of their pricing policy; granted each other unlimited rights to sell seats on each other's flights, actually reduced number of seats, and completely aligned their fare structures and ticket prices. The European Commission is of the opinion that those practices violate Article 101 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU. The press release is available via http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-16-3563_en.htm