Joined Cases C-611/22 P and C-625/22 P: Judgment of the Court (Grand Chamber) of 3 September 2024 – Illumina, Inc. (C-611/22 P), Grail LLC (C-625/22 P) v European Commission, Hellenic Republic, French Republic, Kingdom of the Netherlands, EFTA Surveillance Authority (Appeal – Competition – Concentrations – Pharmaceutical industry market – Genetic sequencing systems – Acquisition by Illumina Inc. of sole control over Grail LLC – Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 – Article 22 – Referral request from a national competition authority not having competence under national law to examine the concentration – Decision of the European Commission to examine that concentration – Commission decisions accepting requests from other national competition authorities to join the referral request – Competence of the Commission – Legal certainty)
Date: 2024-09-03
Institutions: Court of Justice
Subjects: competition policy, economic concentration, genetics, merger control, pharmaceutical industry, principle of legal certainty, rights of the defence








C_202406055EN.000101.fmx.xml












Official Journal of the European Union


EN
C series













C/2024/6055


21.10.2024






Judgment of the Court (Grand Chamber) of 3 September 2024 – Illumina, Inc. (C-611/22 P), Grail LLC (C-625/22 P) v European Commission, Hellenic Republic, French Republic, Kingdom of the Netherlands, EFTA Surveillance Authority


(Joined Cases C-611/22 P and C-625/22 P)
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(Appeal - Competition - Concentrations - Pharmaceutical industry market - Genetic sequencing systems - Acquisition by Illumina Inc. of sole control over Grail LLC - Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 - Article 22 - Referral request from a national competition authority not having competence under national law to examine the concentration - Decision of the European Commission to examine that concentration - Commission decisions accepting requests from other national competition authorities to join the referral request - Competence of the Commission - Legal certainty)
(C/2024/6055)
Language of the case: English

Parties


Appellants: Illumina, Inc. (C-611/22 P) (represented by: D. Beard, Barrister-at-Law, and J. Holmes, Barrister, and by P. Chappatte, advocaat, F.E. González Díaz, abogado, G.C. Rizza and M. Siragusa, avvocati, T. Verheyden, avocat, and L. Wright, advocate), Grail LLC (C-625/22 P) (represented by: A. Giraud, avocat, J.M. Jiménez-Laiglesia Oñate, abogado, D. Little, Solicitor, J. Ruiz Calzado, abogado, and S. Troch, advocaat)

Other parties to the proceedings: European Commission (represented by: G. Conte, N. Khan and C. Urraca Caviedes, acting as Agents), Hellenic Republic (represented by: K. Boskovits, acting as Agent), French Republic (represented initially by: T. Stéhelin and N. Vincent, acting as Agents, and subsequently by R. Bénard, T. Lechevallier and T. Stéhelin, acting as Agents), Kingdom of the Netherlands (represented by: E.M.M. Besselink, M.K. Bulterman, A. Hanje and P.P. Huurnink, acting as Agents), EFTA Surveillance Authority (represented by: C. Simpson, M. Sánchez Rydelski and M.-M. Joséphidès, acting as Agents), Grail LLC (represented by: A. Giraud, avocat, J.M. Jiménez-Laiglesia Oñate, abogado, D. Little, Solicitor, J. Ruiz Calzado, abogado, and S. Troch, advocaat)

Intervener in support of the appellant in Case C-611/22 P: Biocom California (represented by: B. Amory, É. Barbier de La Serre, A.S. Perraut and L. Van Mullem, avocats)

Intervener in support of the appellant in Case C-625/22 P: Republic of Estonia (represented by: N. Grünberg, acting as Agent)

Operative part of the judgment

The Court:






1.


Sets aside the judgment of the General Court of the European Union of 13 July 2022, Illumina v Commission (T-227/21, EU:T:2022:447);










2.


Annuls Decision C(2021) 2847 final of the European Commission of 19 April 2021, accepting the request of the Autorité de la concurrence française (French Competition Authority) to examine the concentration relating to the acquisition by Illumina Inc. of sole control over Grail LLC (Case COMP/M.10188 – Illumina/Grail);










3.


Annuls Commission Decisions C(2021) 2848 final, C(2021) 2849 final, C(2021) 2851 final, C(2021) 2854 final and C(2021) 2855 final of 19 April 2021, accepting the requests of the Greek, Belgian, Norwegian, Icelandic and Dutch competition authorities to join that referral request;










4.


Dismisses the appeals as to the remainder;










5.


Orders the European Commission to pay, in addition to its own costs, those incurred, first, by Illumina Inc. and Grail LLC at first instance and in the appeal proceedings and, second, by Biocom California in the appeal proceedings in Case C-611/22 P;










6.


Declares that the Republic of Estonia, the Hellenic Republic, the French Republic, the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the EFTA Surveillance Authority are to bear their own costs.






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            OJ C 432, 14.11.2022.


ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/C/2024/6055/oj
ISSN 1977-091X (electronic edition)