Case T-589/22: Judgment of the General Court of 2 October 2024 – Silgan Holdings and Others v Commission (Competition – Agreements, decisions and concerted practices – Metal packaging market – Decision finding an infringement of Article 101 TFEU – Cooperation between the Commission and the national competition authorities – Initiation of an investigation procedure by the Commission at the request of a national competition authority – Period for re-allocation – Obligation to state reasons – Legitimate expectations – Principle of subsidiarity – Rights of the defence – Proportionality – Principle of good administration – Counterclaim for re-evaluation of the amount of the fine following a settlement procedure)
Date: 2024-10-02
Institutions: General Court
Subjects: Germany, cartel, control of restrictive practices, metal product, packaging product, principle of proportionality, principle of subsidiarity, restriction on competition, rights of the defence, sanction (EU)








C_202406932EN.000101.fmx.xml












Official Journal of the European Union


EN
C series













C/2024/6932


25.11.2024






Judgment of the General Court of 2 October 2024 – Silgan Holdings and Others v Commission


(Case T-589/22)
                (1)

(Competition - Agreements, decisions and concerted practices - Metal packaging market - Decision finding an infringement of Article 101 TFEU - Cooperation between the Commission and the national competition authorities - Initiation of an investigation procedure by the Commission at the request of a national competition authority - Period for re-allocation - Obligation to state reasons - Legitimate expectations - Principle of subsidiarity - Rights of the defence - Proportionality - Principle of good administration - Counterclaim for re-evaluation of the amount of the fine following a settlement procedure)
(C/2024/6932)
Language of the case: German

Parties


Applicants: Silgan Holdings, Inc. (Stamford, Connecticut, United States), Silgan Holdings Austria GmbH (Vienna, Austria), Silgan International Holdings BV, (Maarsbergen, Netherlands), Silgan Metal Packaging Distribution GmbH (Meissen, Germany), Silgan White Cap Manufacturing GmbH (Hanover, Germany) (represented by: D. Seeliger, H. Wollmann, R. Grafunder, Y.-K. Gürer and E. Venot, lawyers)

Defendant: European Commission (represented by: A. Kiel, G. Meessen and L. Wildpanner, acting as Agents)
Interveners in support of the defendant: Federal Republic of Germany (represented by: J. Möller and R. Kanitz, acting as Agents), Council of the European Union (represented by: A.-L. Meyer, T. Haas, A. Jensen and N. Brzezinski, acting as Agents)

Re:

By their action under Article 263 TFEU, the applicants seek the annulment of Commission Decision C(2022) 4761 final of 12 July 2022 relating to a proceeding under Article 101 TFEU (Case AT.40522 – Metal packaging) in so far as it relates to them. The European Commission submits a counterclaim for the amount of the fine imposed on the applicants to be increased.

Operative part of the judgment

The Court:






1.


Dismisses the action;










2.


Dismisses the European Commission’s counterclaim;










3.


Orders Silgan Holdings, Inc., Silgan Holdings Austria GmbH, Silgan International Holdings BV, Silgan Metal Packaging Distribution GmbH and Silgan White Cap Manufacturing GmbH to bear their own costs and to pay 90 % of the costs incurred by the Commission;










4.


Orders the Commission to bear 10 % of its own costs;










5.


Orders the Federal Republic of Germany and the Council of the European Union each to bear their own costs.






(1)  
            OJ C 424, 7.11.2022.


ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/C/2024/6932/oj
ISSN 1977-091X (electronic edition)