Case C-550/07 P P: Judgment of the Court (Grand Chamber) of 14 September 2010 — Akzo Nobel Chemicals Ltd, Akcros Chemicals Ltd v European Commission, Council of the Bars and Law Societies of the European Union, Algemene Raad van de Nederlandse Orde van Advocaten, Association européenne des juristes d'entreprise (AEJE), American Corporate Counsel Association (ACCA) — European Chapter, International Bar Association (Appeal — Competition — Measures of inquiry — Commission’s powers of investigation — Legal professional privilege — Employment relationship between a lawyer and an undertaking — Exchanges of e-mails)
Date: 2010-09-14
Institutions: Court of Justice
Subjects: European Commission, appeal, consultation of information, document, fact-finding mission, judicial investigation, offence, professional secret








C_2010301EN.01000201.xml










6.11.2010   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


C 301/2





Judgment of the Court (Grand Chamber) of 14 September 2010 — Akzo Nobel Chemicals Ltd, Akcros Chemicals Ltd v European Commission, Council of the Bars and Law Societies of the European Union, Algemene Raad van de Nederlandse Orde van Advocaten, Association européenne des juristes d'entreprise (AEJE), American Corporate Counsel Association (ACCA) — European Chapter, International Bar Association
(Case C-550/07 P P) (1)

(Appeal - Competition - Measures of inquiry - Commission’s powers of investigation - Legal professional privilege - Employment relationship between a lawyer and an undertaking - Exchanges of e-mails)
2010/C 301/02
Language of the case: English

Parties


Appellants: Akzo Nobel Chemicals Ltd, Akcros Chemicals Ltd (represented by: M. Mollica, M. van der Woude and C. Swaak, advocaat)

Other parties to the proceedings: European Commission (represented by: F. Castillo de la Torre and X. Lewis, Agents), Council of the Bars and Law Societies of the European Union (represented by: J. Flynn QC), Algemene Raad van de Nederlandse Orde van Advocaten (represented by: O. Brouwer and C. Schillemans, advocaten), European Company Lawyers Association (AEJE) (represented by: M. Dolmans and K. Nordlander, avocats, J. Temple Lang, solicitor), American Corporate Counsel Association (ACCA) — European Chapter (G. Berrisch, Rechtsanwalt, D. Hull, solicitor), International Bar Association (represented by: J. Buhart and I. Michou, avocats)

Intervener in support of the applicanst: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (represented by: V. Jackson and E. Jenkinson, Agents, and M. Hoskins, Barrister), Ireland (represented by: D. O’Hagan, Agent, D. O’Donnell, SC and R. Casey, BL), Kingdom of the Netherlands (represented by: C. Wissels, Y. de Vries and M. de Grave, Agents)

Re:

Appeal against the judgment of the Court of First Instance (First Chamber, extended composition) of 17 September 2007 in Case T-253/03 Akzo Nobel Chemicals and Akcros Chemicals v Commission, by which the Court dismissed an action seeking annulment of Decision C(2003) 1533 final of 8 May 2003 rejecting a request for legal professional privilege for certain documents seised in the course of a an investigation ordered in accordance with Article 14(3) of Regulation No 17 (Case COMP/E-1/38.589)

Operative part of the judgment

The Court:






1.


Dismisses the appeal;










2.


Orders the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Ireland and the Kingdom of the Netherlands to bear their own costs;










3.


Orders the Conseil des barreaux européens, the Algemene Raad van de Nederlandse Orde van Advocaten, the European Company Lawyers Association, the American Corporate Counsel Association (ACCA) — European Chapter and the International Bar Association to bear their own costs;










4.


Orders the remainder of the costs of the proceedings to be born jointly and severally by Akzo Nobel Chemicals Ltd and Akcros Chemicals Ltd.






(1)  OJ C 37, 9.2.2008.