Case T-587/22: Judgment of the General Court of 2 October 2024 – Crown Holdings and Crown Cork & Seal Deutschland 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, competition policy, metal product, packaging product, principle of proportionality, principle of subsidiarity, rights of the defence, sanction (EU)








C_202406655EN.000101.fmx.xml












Official Journal of the European Union


EN
C series













C/2024/6655


11.11.2024






Judgment of the General Court of 2 October 2024 – Crown Holdings and Crown Cork & Seal Deutschland v Commission


(Case T-587/22)
                (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/2024/6655)
Language of the case: English

Parties


Applicants: Crown Holdings, Inc. (Yardley, Pennsylvania, United States), Crown Cork & Seal Deutschland Holdings GmbH (Seesen, Germany) (represented by: A. Burnside, C. Graf York von Wartenburg, A. Kidane and D. Strohl, lawyers)

Defendant: European Commission (represented by: B. Ernst, A. Keidel and L. Wildpanner, acting as Agents)

Intervener in support of the defendant: Federal Republic of Germany (represented by: J. Möller and R. Kanitz, 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 Crown Holdings, Inc. and Crown Cork & Seal Deutschland Holdings 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 to bear its own costs.






(1)  
            OJ C 424, 7.11.2022.


ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/C/2024/6655/oj
ISSN 1977-091X (electronic edition)