# C_2006294EN.01000402.xml

| 2.12.2006 | EN | Official Journal of the European Union | C 294/4 |
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2.12.2006

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 294/4

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Judgment of the Court (First Chamber) of 21 September 2006 — Nederlandse Federatieve Vereniging voor de Groothandel op Elektrotechnisch Gebied v Technische Unie BV, Commission of the European Communities, CEF City Electrical Factors BV, CEF Holdings Ltd

(Case C-105/04 P) (1)

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(Appeal - Cartels - Market in electrotechnical fittings in the Netherlands - National wholesalers' association - Agreements and concerted practices having as their object a collective exclusive dealing arrangement and price-fixing - Fines)

(2006/C 294/07)

Language of the case: Dutch

Parties

Appellant: Nederlandse Federatieve Vereniging voor de Groothandel op Elektrotechnisch Gebied (represented by: E. Pijnacker Hordijk and M. De Grave, lawyer)

Appellant:

Other parties to the proceedings: Technische Unie BV(represented by: P. Bos and C. Hubert, lawyers), Commission of the European Communities (represented by: W. Wils, Agent and H. Gilliams, lawyer), CEF City Electrical Factors BV, CEF Holdings Ltd (represented by J. Stuyck, C. Vinken Geijselaers and M. Poelman, lawyers)

Other parties to the proceedings:

Re:

Appeal against the judgment of the Court of First Instance (First Chamber) of 16 December 2003 in Joined Cases T-5/00 and T-6/00 Nederlandse Federatieve Vereniging voor de Groothandel op Elektrotechnisch Gebied and Technische Unie BV v Commission, by which the Court of First Instance dismissed the application seeking annulment of Commission Decision 2000/117/EC of 26 October 1999 concerning a proceeding pursuant to Article 81 of the EC Treaty (Case IV/33.884 — Nederlandse Federatieve Vereniging voor de Groothandel op Elektrotechnisch Gebied and Technische Unie) (OJ 2000 L 39, p. 1)

Vereniging voor de Groothandel op Elektrotechnisch Gebied and Technische Unie BV

Commission

Operative part of the judgment

The Court:

| 1) | Sets aside the judgment of the Court of First Instance of the European Communities of 16 December 2003 in Joined Cases T-5/00 and T-6/00 Nederlandse Federatieve Vereniging voor de Groothandel op Elektrotechnisch Gebied and Technische Unie v Commission solely in so far as the Court of First Instance, in examining the plea alleging breach of the 'reasonable time' principle, omitted to ascertain whether the excessive duration, imputable to the Commission of the European Communities, of the entire administrative procedure, including the phase preceding the notification of the statement of objections, was capable of affecting the future possibilities of the Nederlandse Federatieve Vereniging voor de Groothandel op Elektrotechnisch Gebied to defend its interests; |
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1)

Sets aside the judgment of the Court of First Instance of the European Communities of 16 December 2003 in Joined Cases T-5/00 and T-6/00 Nederlandse Federatieve Vereniging voor de Groothandel op Elektrotechnisch Gebied and Technische Unie v Commission solely in so far as the Court of First Instance, in examining the plea alleging breach of the 'reasonable time' principle, omitted to ascertain whether the excessive duration, imputable to the Commission of the European Communities, of the entire administrative procedure, including the phase preceding the notification of the statement of objections, was capable of affecting the future possibilities of the Nederlandse Federatieve Vereniging voor de Groothandel op Elektrotechnisch Gebied to defend its interests;

Nederlandse Federatieve Vereniging voor de Groothandel op Elektrotechnisch Gebied and Technische Unie

Commission

| 2) | Dismisses the remainder of the application; |
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2)

Dismisses the remainder of the application;

| 3) | Dismisses the action brought by the Nederlandse Federatieve Vereniging voor de Groothandel op Elektrotechnisch Gebied before the Court of First Instance, in so far as it is based in part on the plea alleging breach of the ‘reasonable time’ principle; |
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3)

Dismisses the action brought by the Nederlandse Federatieve Vereniging voor de Groothandel op Elektrotechnisch Gebied before the Court of First Instance, in so far as it is based in part on the plea alleging breach of the ‘reasonable time’ principle;

| 4) | Orders the Nederlandse Federatieve Vereniging voor de Groothandel op Elektrotechnisch Gebied to pay the costs of these proceedings. The costs relating to the proceedings at first instance which gave rise to the judgment of 16 December 2003 in Joined Cases T-5/00 and T-6/00 Nederlandse Federatieve Vereniging voor de Groothandel op Elektrotechnisch Gebied and Technische Unie v Commission remain payable by the Nederlandse Federatieve Vereniging voor de Groothandel op Elektrotechnisch Gebied, in accordance with the procedure laid down in paragraph 2 of the operative part of that judgment. |
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4)

Orders the Nederlandse Federatieve Vereniging voor de Groothandel op Elektrotechnisch Gebied to pay the costs of these proceedings. The costs relating to the proceedings at first instance which gave rise to the judgment of 16 December 2003 in Joined Cases T-5/00 and T-6/00 Nederlandse Federatieve Vereniging voor de Groothandel op Elektrotechnisch Gebied and Technische Unie v Commission remain payable by the Nederlandse Federatieve Vereniging voor de Groothandel op Elektrotechnisch Gebied, in accordance with the procedure laid down in paragraph 2 of the operative part of that judgment.

Nederlandse Federatieve Vereniging voor de Groothandel op Elektrotechnisch Gebied and Technische Unie

Commission

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(1)  OJ C 106, 30.04.04.

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