Case C-162/15 P: Judgment of the Court (Grand Chamber) of 14 March 2017 — Evonik Degussa GmbH v European Commission (Appeal — Competition — Articles 101 TFEU and 102 TFEU — Regulation (EC) No 1/2003 — Article 30 — Commission decision finding an illegal cartel on the European hydrogen peroxide and perborate market — Publication of an extended non-confidential version of that decision — Rejection of a request for confidential treatment of certain information — Terms of reference of the hearing officer — Decision 2011/695/EU — Article 8 — Confidentiality — Protection of professional secrecy — Article 339 TFEU — Concept of ‘business secrets or other confidential information’ — Information from a request for leniency — Rejection of the request for confidential treatment — Legitimate expectation)
Date: 2017-03-14
Institutions: Court of Justice
Subjects: cartel, competition policy, confidentiality, control of restrictive practices, equal treatment, judicial inquiry, market-sharing agreement, oxide, professional secret, trade information








C_2017151EN.01000401.xml










15.5.2017   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


C 151/4





Judgment of the Court (Grand Chamber) of 14 March 2017 — Evonik Degussa GmbH v European Commission
(Case C-162/15 P) (1)

((Appeal - Competition - Articles 101 TFEU and 102 TFEU - Regulation (EC) No 1/2003 - Article 30 - Commission decision finding an illegal cartel on the European hydrogen peroxide and perborate market - Publication of an extended non-confidential version of that decision - Rejection of a request for confidential treatment of certain information - Terms of reference of the hearing officer - Decision 2011/695/EU - Article 8 - Confidentiality - Protection of professional secrecy - Article 339 TFEU - Concept of ‘business secrets or other confidential information’ - Information from a request for leniency - Rejection of the request for confidential treatment - Legitimate expectation))
(2017/C 151/04)
Language of the case: German

Parties


Appellant: Evonik Degussa GmbH (represented by: C. Steinle, C. von Köckritz and A. Richter, Rechtsanwälte)

Other party to the proceedings: European Commission (represented by: G. Meessen, M. Kellerbauer and F. van Schaik, Agents)

Operative part of the judgment

The Court:






1.


Sets aside the judgment of the General Court of the European Union of 28 January 2015, Evonik Degussa v Commission (T-341/12, EU:T:2015:51) in so far as by that judgment the General Court held that the hearing officer was correct to decline competence to answer the objections, raised by Evonik Degussa GmbH on the basis of the observance of the principles of the protection of legitimate expectations and equal treatment, to the proposed publication of a detailed, non-confidential version of Commission Decision C(2006) 1766 final of 3 May 2006 relating to a proceeding under Article 81 [EC] and Article 53 of the EEA Agreement against Akzo Nobel NV, Akzo Nobel Chemicals Holding AB, Eka Chemicals AB, Degussa AG, Edison SpA, FMC Corporation, FMC Foret SA, Kemira OYJ, L’Air Liquide SA, Chemoxal SA, Snia SpA, Caffaro Srl, Solvay SA/NV, Solvay Solexis SpA, Total SA, Elf Aquitaine SA and Arkema SA (Case COMP/F/38.620 — Hydrogen Peroxide and Perborate);










2.


Dismisses the appeal as to the remainder;










3.


Annuls Commission Decision C(2012) 3534 final of 24 May 2012, rejecting a request for confidential treatment submitted by Evonik Degussa GmbH in so far as, by that decision, the hearing officer declined competence to answer the objections referred to in point 1 of the operative part of this judgment;










4.


Orders Evonik Degussa GmbH and the European Commission to bear their own costs.






(1)  OJ C 198, 15.6.2015.