Cases T-389/10 and T-419/10: Judgment of the General Court of 15 July 2015 — SLM and Ori Martin v Commission (Competition — Agreements, decisions and concerted practices — European prestressing steel market — Price fixing, market sharing and exchanging of sensitive commercial information — Decision finding an infringement of Article 101 TFEU — Single, complex and continuous infringement — Limitation period — 2006 Guidelines on the method of setting fines — Imputation of liablitiy for the infringment to the parent company — Proportionnality — Principle that penalties must fit the offence — Unlimited jurisdiction)
Date: 2015-07-15
Institutions: General Court
Subjects: cartel, competition, exchange of information, fine, market-sharing agreement, price agreement, steel, trade information








C_2015302EN.01003201.xml










14.9.2015   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


C 302/32





Judgment of the General Court of 15 July 2015 — SLM and Ori Martin v Commission
(Cases T-389/10 and T-419/10) (1)

((Competition - Agreements, decisions and concerted practices - European prestressing steel market - Price fixing, market sharing and exchanging of sensitive commercial information - Decision finding an infringement of Article 101 TFEU - Single, complex and continuous infringement - Limitation period - 2006 Guidelines on the method of setting fines - Imputation of liablitiy for the infringment to the parent company - Proportionnality - Principle that penalties must fit the offence - Unlimited jurisdiction))
(2015/C 302/41)
Language of the case: Italian

Parties


Applicants: Siderurgica Latina Martin SpA (SLM) (Ceprano, Italy) (represented by: G. Belotti and F. Covone, lawyers) (Case T-389/10); and Ori Martin SA (Luxembourg, Luxembourg) (represented by: P. Ziotti, lawyer) (Case T-419/10)

Defendant: European Commission (represented initially by B. Gencarelli, V. Bottka and P. Rossi, and subsequently by V. Bottka, P. Rossi and G. Conte, Agents)

Re:

Application for annulment and alteration of Commission Decision C(2010) 4387 final of 30 June 2010 relating to a proceeding under Article 101 TFEU and Article 53 of the EEA Agreement (case COMP/38344 — Prestressing Steel), amended by Commission Decision C(2010) 6676 final of 30 September 2010, and by Commission Decision C(2011) 2269 final of 4 April 2011.

Operative part of the judgment

The Court:






1.


Joins Cases T-389/10 and T-419/10 for the purposes of the judgment;










2.


Annuls Article 1(16) of Commission Decision C(2010) 4387 final of 30 June 2010 relating to a proceeding under Article 101 TFEU and Article 53 of the EEA Agreement (case COMP/38344 — Prestressing Steel), amended by Commission Decision C(2010) 6676 final of 30 September 2010, and by Commission Decision C(2011) 2269 final of 4 April 2011, in so far as it finds that Siderurgica Latina Martin SpA (SLM) participated in a series of agreements and commercial practices in the prestressing steel sector in the internal market and within the European Economic Area (EEA) from 10 February 1997 to 14 April 1997;










3.


Annuls Article 2(16) of Decision C(2010) 4387 final, as amended by Decision C(2010) 6676 final and by Decision C(2011) 2269 final;










4.


Reduces the fine imposed on SLM from EUR 19,8 million to EUR 19 million, of which the amount of EUR 13,3 million is imposed on a joint and several basis with Ori Martin SA; on account of the legal maximum of 10 % of total turnover provided for in Article 23(2) of Regulation (EC) No 1/2003, the final amount of the fine to be imposed on SLM is set at EUR 1,956 million;










5.


Dismisses the actions at to the remainder;










6.


Orders the Commission to bear its own costs and to pay two thirds of the costs of SLM and one third of the costs of Ori Martin;










7.


Orders SLM to bear one third of its own costs;










8.


Orders Ori Martin to bear two thirds of its own costs.






(1)  OJ C 301, 6.11.2010.