Communication from the Commission — Amendments to the Commission Notice on the conduct of settlement procedures in view of the adoption of Decisions pursuant to Article 7 and Article 23 of Council Regulation (EC) No 1/2003 in cartel cases
Date: 2015-08-05
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: competition law, complaint to the Commission, infringement procedure (EU), restrictive trade practice








C_2015256EN.01000201.xml










5.8.2015   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


C 256/2





COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION
Amendments to the Commission Notice on the conduct of settlement procedures in view of the adoption of Decisions pursuant to Article 7 and Article 23 of Council Regulation (EC) No 1/2003 in cartel cases
(2015/C 256/02)






1.


The Notice on the conduct of settlement procedures in view of the adoption of Decisions pursuant to Article 7 and Article 23 of Council Regulation (EC) No 1/2003 (1) in cartel cases is hereby amended as follows.










2.


Point 22 is replaced by the following text:






‘22.


Settlement submissions cannot be withdrawn unilaterally by the parties which have provided them. The statement of objections would be deemed to have endorsed the settlement submissions if it reflects their contents on the issues mentioned in point 20(a). Additionally, for a final decision to be deemed to have reflected the settlement submissions, it should not impose a fine which exceeds the maximum amount indicated therein.’














3.


Point 27 is replaced by the following text:






‘27.


The Commission retains the right to adopt a statement of objections which does not reflect the parties' settlement submission. If so, the general provisions in Articles 10(2), 12(1) and 15(1) of Regulation (EC) No 773/2004 will apply. The acknowledgements provided by the parties in the settlement submission will be disregarded by the Commission and cannot be used as evidence against any of the parties to the proceedings. Hence, the parties concerned will no longer be bound by their settlement submissions and will be granted a time-limit allowing them, upon request, to present their defence anew, including the possibility to access the file and to request an oral hearing.’














4.


Point 29 is replaced by the following text:






‘29.


The Commission retains the right to adopt a final position which departs from its preliminary position expressed in a statement of objections endorsing the parties' settlement submissions, either in view of the opinion provided by the Advisory Committee or for other appropriate considerations in view of the ultimate decisional autonomy of the Commission to this effect. However, should the Commission opt to follow that course, it will inform the parties and notify to them a new statement of objections in order to allow for the exercise of their rights of defence in accordance with the applicable general rules of procedure. It follows that the parties will then be entitled to have access to the file, to request an oral hearing and to reply to the statement of objections. The acknowledgments provided by the parties in the settlement submissions will be disregarded by the Commission and will not be used in evidence against any of the parties to the proceedings.’














5.


Point 39 is replaced by the following text:






‘39.


In line with paragraph 26a of the Commission Notice on the co-operation between the Commission and the courts of the EU Member States in the application of Articles 101 and 102 of the Treaty, the Commission will not at any time transmit settlement submissions to national courts for use in actions for damages for breaches of those Treaty provisions (2). This paragraph is without prejudice to the situation referred to in Article 6(7) of Directive 2014/104/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council (3).





(2)  Commission Notice on the co-operation between the Commission and the courts of the EU Member States in the application of Articles 101 and 102 TFEU (OJ C 101, 27.4.2004, p. 54), as amended by the Communication from the Commission on Amendments to the Commission Notice on the cooperation between the Commission and courts of the EU Member States in the application of Articles 81 and 82 EC (OJ C 256, 5.8.2015, p. 5)."
						

(3)  Directive 2014/104/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 November 2014 on certain rules governing actions for damages under national law for infringements of the competition law provisions of the Member States and of the European Union (OJ L 349, 5.12.2014, p. 1).’"
						






(1)  OJ C 167, 2.7.2008, p. 1.