Joined Cases T-259/02 to T-264/02 and T-271/02: Judgment of the Court of First Instance of 14 December 2006 — Raiffeisen Zentralbank Österreich and Others v Commission (Competition — Agreements, decisions and concerted practices — Austrian banking market — Lombard Club — Effect on trade between Member States — Calculation of fines)
Date: 2006-12-30
Institutions: Court of First Instance
Subjects: action for annulment (EU), bank, control of restrictive practices, fine, infringement of EU law, restriction on competition

30.12.2006

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 331/29

Judgment of the Court of First Instance (Fifth Chamber) of
14 December 2006 — Technische Glaswerke Ilmenau v
Commission

Judgment of the Court of First Instance of 14 December
2006 — Raiffeisen Zentralbank Österreich and Others v
Commission

(Case T-237/02) (1)

(Joined Cases T-259/02 to T-264/02 and T-271/02) (1)

(Access to documents — Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 —
Procedure for controlling State aid — Exception relating to the
protection of the purpose of inspections, investigations and
audits — Implied refusal — Obligation to carry out a
concrete, individual examination — Intervention — Interve-
ner's claims, pleas and arguments)

(2006/C 331/64)

Language of the case: German

Parties

Applicant: Technische Glaswerke Ilmenau GmbH (Ilmenau,
Germany) (represented by:
initially G. Schohe and C. Arhold,
and subsequently C. Arhold and N. Wimmer, lawyers)

Defendant: Commission of the European Communities (repre-
sented by: V. Kreuschitz, V. Di Bucci and P. Aalto, Agents)

Interveners in support of the applicant: Kingdom of Sweden (repre-
sented by: A. Kruse and K. Wistrand, Agents) and Republic of
Finland (represented by: T. Pynnä, Agent)

Intervener
Germany) (represented by: U. Soltész, lawyer)

in support of

the defendant: Schott Glas

(Mainz,

Re:

Application for annulment of the Commission's decision of 28
May 2002 refusing the applicant access to documents relating
to procedures for controlling State aid.

(Competition — Agreements, decisions and concerted practices
— Austrian banking market — ‘Lombard Club’ — Effect on
trade between Member States — Calculation of fines)

(2006/C 331/65)

Language of the case: German

Parties

Applicants: Raiffeisen Zentralbank Österreich AG (Vienna,
lawyer) (Case T-259/02);
Austria) (represented by: S. Völcker,
Bank Austria Creditanstalt AG (Vienna)
(represented by: C.
Zschocke and J. Beninca, lawyers) (Case T-260/02); Anteilsver-
waltung BAWAG PSK AG,
formerly Bank für Arbeit und
Wirtschaft AG, (Vienna) (represented by: initially H.-J. Niemeyer
and M. von Hinden and then by H.-J. Niemeyer, lawyers) (Case
T-261/02); Raiffeisenlandesbank Niederösterreich-Wien AG
(Vienna) (represented by: H. Wollmann,
lawyer) (Case T-262/
02); BAWAG PSK Bank für Arbeit und Wirtschaft und Österrei-
formerly Österreichische Postspar-
chische Postsparkasse AG,
kasse AG (Vienna) (represented by: initially H.-J. Niemeyer and
M. von Hinden and then by H.-J. Niemeyer, lawyers) (Case T-
263/02); Erste Bank der oesterreichischen Sparkassen AG
initially W. Kirchhoff, F. Montag, G.
(Vienna) (represented by:
Bauer and A. Wegner and then by F. Montag et A. Wegner,
lawyers)
(Case T 264/02); Österreichische Volksbanken AG
(Vienna) and Niederösterreichische Landesbank-Hypothekenbank
AG (St. Pölten, Austria) (represented by: R. Roniger, A. Ablasser,
R. Bierwagen et F. Neumayr, lawyers) (Case T-271/02)

Defendant: Commission of the European Communities (repre-
sented by: initially S. Rating and then by A. Bouquet, Agents,
assisted by D. Waelbroeck and U. Zinsmeister, lawyers)

Operative part of the judgment

The Court:

Re:

1. Annuls the Commission Decision of 28 May 2002 in so far as it
refuses access to the documents relating to the investigation proce-
dures in respect of aid granted to Technische Glaswerke Ilmenau
GmbH;

2. Dismisses the remainder of the action;

in full or in part of
Primarily, applications for annulment
Commission Decision 2004/138/EC of 11 June 2002 relating
to a proceeding under Article 81 of the EC Treaty (Case COMP/
36.571/D-1: Austrian banks — ‘Lombard Club’) (OJ 2004 L 56,
p. 1) and, in the alternative, for reduction of the fines imposed
on the applicants

3. Orders the Commission to bear its own costs and to pay three
quarters of the costs incurred by Technische Glaswerke Ilmenau.
The latter is to bear a quarter of its own costs;

Operative part of the judgment

The Court:

4. Orders Schott Glas, the Kingdom of Sweden and the Republic of

Finland to bear their own costs.

(1) OJ C 233, 28.9.2002.

1. In Case T-263/02, reduces the amount of the fine imposed on the
Österreichische Postsparkasse AG, the predecessor in title of the
applicant, by Article 3 of Commission Decision 2004/138/EC of
11 June 2002 relating to a proceeding under Article 81 of the EC
Treaty (Case COMP/36.571/D-1: Austrian banks — ‘Lombard
Club’) to EUR 3 795 000;

2. Dismisses the actions as to the remainder;

C 331/30

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

30.12.2006

3. In Case T-259/02, dismisses the Commission's counterclaim;

4. In Cases T-260/02 to T-262/02, T-264/02 and T-271/02,

orders the applicants to pay the costs;

5. In Case T-259/02, orders the applicant to bear its own costs and
90 % of the Commission's costs. The Commission is to bear 10 %
of its own costs;

6. In Case T-263/02, orders the parties to bear their own costs.

(1) OJ C 274, 9.11.2002.

Judgment of the Court of First Instance of 14 December
2006 — Mast-Jägermeister v OHIM — Licorera Zacapaneca
(VENADO with frame)

(Joined Cases T-81/03, T-82/03 and T-103/03) (1)

(Community trade mark — Opposition proceedings — Appli-
cations for Community figurative marks VENADO with
frame, VENADO and VENADO ESPECIAL — Earlier Com-
munity figurative marks representing a deer's head facing
forward in a circle — Relative ground for refusal — Likeli-
hood of confusion — Article 8(1)(b) of Regulation (EC) No
40/94)

(2006/C 331/67)

Language of the case: Spanish

Judgment of the Court of First Instance (Fifth Chamber) of
5 December 2006 — Westfalen Gassen Nederland v
Commission

Parties

(Case T-303/02) (1)

Applicant: Mast-Jägermeister AG (Wolfenbüttel, Germany) (repre-
sented by: C. Drzymalla, lawyer)

(Competition — Cartels — Dutch market for industrial and
medical gases — Price fixing — Proof of participation in the
cartel — Proof of distancing — Principles of non-discrimina-
tion and proportionality — Calculation of fines)

(2006/C 331/66)

Language of the case: Dutch

Defendant: Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market
(Trade Marks and Designs) (represented by: J. García Murillo,
Agent)

Other party to the proceedings before the Board of Appeal of OHIM
intervening before the Court of First Instance: Licorera Zacapaneca
SA (Santa Cruz, Guatemala) (represented by: L. Corno Caparrós
and B. Uriarte Valiente, lawyers)

Parties

Applicant: Westfalen Gassen Nederland BV (Deventer, Nether-
lands) (represented by: M. Essers and M. Custers, lawyers)

Re:

Defendant: Commission of the European Communities (repre-
sented by: A. Bouquet, Agent)

Re:

Three actions brought against the decisions of the First Board of
Appeal of OHIM of 19 December 2002 (Case R 412/2002-1
and Case R 382/2002-1) and 14 January 2003 (Case R 407/
2002-1), relating to opposition proceedings between Licorera
Zacapaneca SA and Mast-Jägermeister AG.

Application for partial annulment of Commission Decision
2003/207/EC of 24 July 2002 relating to a proceeding pursuant
to Article 81 of the EC Treaty (case COMP/E 3/36.700 — Indus-
trial and medical gases) (OJ 2003 L 84, p. 1) and, alternatively,
reduction of the fine imposed on the applicant.

Operative part of the judgment

The Court:

Operative part of the judgment

The Court:

1. Dismisses the action;

2. Orders Westfalen Gassen Nederland BV to bear its own costs and
to pay three quarters of those incurred by the Commission and
orders the Commission to bear one quarter of its own costs.

1. Annuls the decisions of the First Board of Appeal of the Office for
Harmonisation in the Internal Market (Trade Marks and Designs)
of 19 December 2002 (Case R 412/2002-1 and Case R 382/
2002-1) and of 14 January 2003 (Case R 407/2002-1);

2. Orders the Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market (Trade
Marks and Designs) to pay the costs incurred by the applicant;

3. Orders the intervener to bear its own costs.

(1) OJ C 305, 17.12.2002.

(1) OJ C 112, 10.5.2003.