Judgment of the General Court (Fourth Chamber) of 16 September 2013 — Rubinetteria Cisal v Commission

(Case T‑368/10)

‛Competition — Agreements, decisions and concerted practices — Bathroom fittings and fixtures markets of Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands and Austria — Decision finding an infringement of Article 101 TFEU and Article 53 of the EEA Agreement — Coordination of price increases and exchange of sensitive business information — Concept of infringement — 2002 Leniency Notice — Cooperation — 2006 Guidelines on the method of setting fines — Calculation of the fine — Inability to pay’

1. Competition — Fines — Amount — Determination — Discretion of the Commission — Judicial review — Unlimited jurisdiction of the EU judicature — Scope — Limits — Compliance with general principles of law (Arts 261 TFEU and 263 TFEU; Council Regulation No 1/2003, Art. 31) (see paras 22, 126, 127)

2. Agreements, decisions and concerted practices — Concerted practice — Concept — Coordination and cooperation incompatible with the obligation on each undertaking to determine independently its conduct on the market — Exchange of information between competitors — Anti-competitive object or effect — Presumption — Conditions (Art. 101(1) TFEU) (see paras 31-37, 45, 49, 57, 72)

3. Competition — Fines — Decision imposing fines — Obligation to state reasons — Scope (Art. 296 TFEU; Council Regulation No 1/2003, Art. 23(2); Commission Notice 2006/C 210/02) (see paras 78-80)

4. Competition — Fines — Amount — Determination — Imposition of the maximum amount on an undertaking — Lower amount for other participants in the cartel — No breach of the principle of equal treatment (Art. 101(1) TFEU; Council Regulation No 1/2003, Art. 23(2); Commission Notice 2006/C 210/02) (see paras 82-85)

5. Competition — Fines — Amount — Determination — Criteria — Gravity of the infringement — Determination of the fine proportionately to the assessment factors for the gravity of the infringement (Art. 101(1) TFEU; Council Regulation No 1/2003, Art. 23(2) and (3); Commission Notice 2006/C 210/02) (see paras 87, 88)

6. Competition — Fines — Amount — Determination — Criteria — Gravity of the infringement — Mitigating circumstances — No obligation to take account of a small undertaking’s lack of knowledge (Art. 101(1) TFEU; Council Regulation No 1/2003, Art. 23(2) and (3); Commission Notice 2006/C 210/02, points 12, 13 and 29) (see paras 104, 106-108)

7. Competition — Fines — Amount — Determination — Guidelines on the method of setting fines for infringements of the competition rules — Reduction of the fine in exchange for cooperation of the undertaking concerned, outside the scope of the Leniency Notice — Conditions (Art. 101(1), TFEU; Council Regulation No 1/2003, Art. 23(2) and (3); Commission Notices 2002/C 45/03, point 1, and 2006/C 210/02, point 29, fourth indent) (see paras 110-112)

8. Competition — Fines — Amount — Determination — Criteria — No obligation to take account of the deficit situation of the undertaking concerned — Actual capacity of the undertaking to pay in a particular social and economic context — To be taken into consideration — Conditions (Council Regulation No 1/2003, Art. 23(2) and (3); Commission Notice 2006/C 210/02, point 35) (see paras 116, 120)

Re:

APPLICATION for annulment of Commission Decision C(2010) 4185 final of 23 June 2010 relating to a proceeding under Article 101 TFEU and Article 53 of the EEA Agreement (Case COMP/39092 — Bathroom Fittings and Fixtures), and, in the alternative, for reduction of the fine imposed on the applicant.

Operative part

The Court:

1. Dismisses the action;