CELEX: 62011TA0516
Language: en
Date: 2014-09-09 00:00:00
Title: Case T-516/11: Judgment of the General Court of 9 September 2014  — MasterCard and Others v Commission (Access to documents — Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 — Documents relating to a study of the costs and benefits to merchants of accepting different payment methods — Documents drawn up by a third party — Refusal of access — Exception relating to the protection of the decision-making process — Exception relating to the protection of the commercial interests of a third party)

20.10.2014   
            
            
               EN
            
            
               Official Journal of the European Union
            
            
               C 372/13
            
         Judgment of the General Court of 9 September 2014 — MasterCard and Others v Commission
   (Case T-516/11) (1)
   
   ((Access to documents - Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 - Documents relating to a study of the costs and benefits to merchants of accepting different payment methods - Documents drawn up by a third party - Refusal of access - Exception relating to the protection of the decision-making process - Exception relating to the protection of the commercial interests of a third party))
   2014/C 372/17
   Language of the case: English
   
      Parties
   
   
      Applicants: MasterCard, Inc. (Wilmington, Delaware, United States); MasterCard International, Inc., (New York, New York, United States); and MasterCard Europe (Waterloo, Belgium) (represented initially by B. Amory, V. Brophy and S. McInnes, and subsequently by B. Amory and V. Brophy, lawyers)
   
      Defendant: European Commission (represented by: F. Clotuche-Duvieusart and V. Bottka, Agents)
   
      Re:
   
   Action for annulment of the Commission decision of 12 July 2011 refusing the applicants access to certain documents drawn up by a third party relating to a study of the costs and benefits to merchants of accepting different payment methods.
   
      Operative part of the judgment
   
   The Court:
   
               1)
            
            
               Annuls the decision of the European Commission of 12 July 2011 refusing MasterCard, Inc., MasterCard International, Inc. and MasterCard Europe access to certain documents drawn up by a third party relating to a study of the costs and benefits to merchants of accepting different payment methods in so far as it refuses access to the documents relating to:
               
                           —
                        
                        
                           costs and benefits to merchants of accepting different payment methods (inception report of 2 June 2009);
                        
                     
                           —
                        
                        
                           costs and benefits to merchants of accepting different payment methods — part 1 of the methodology report of 28 September 2009 [revised version incorporating comments received from stakeholders and the Competition Directorate-General (DG) of the European Commission];
                        
                     
                           —
                        
                        
                           in-depth interview test results on costs of payments: analyses of the in-depth interviews held in the Netherlands, Hungary and the United Kingdom, 15 January 2010 (version provided on 9 March 2010);
                        
                     
                           —
                        
                        
                           draft online questionnaire, 8 March 2010;
                        
                     
                           —
                        
                        
                           results and conclusions of the internet feasibility test: draft report, 24 May 2010;
                        
                     
         
               2)
            
            
               Orders the Commission to pay the costs.
            
         
      (1)  OJ C 347, 26.11.2011.