CELEX: 62005TA0101
Language: en
Date: 2007-12-12 00:00:00
Title: Joined Cases T-101/05 and T-111/05: Judgment of the Court of First Instance of 12 December 2007 — BASF and UCB v Commission (Competition — Agreements, decisions and concerted practices in the vitamin products sector — Choline chloride (vitamin B4) — Decision finding an infringement of Article 81 EC and Article 53 of the Agreement on the European Economic Area — Fines — Deterrence — Repeat infringement — Cooperation during the administrative procedure — Single and continuous infringement)

26.1.2008   
            
            
               EN
            
            
               Official Journal of the European Union
            
            
               C 22/41
            
         Judgment of the Court of First Instance of 12 December 2007 — BASF and UCB v Commission
   (Joined Cases T-101/05 and T-111/05) (1)
   
   (Competition - Agreements, decisions and concerted practices in the vitamin products sector - Choline chloride (vitamin B4) - Decision finding an infringement of Article 81 EC and Article 53 of the Agreement on the European Economic Area - Fines - Deterrence - Repeat infringement - Cooperation during the administrative procedure - Single and continuous infringement)
   (2008/C 22/75)
   Languages of the case: English and French
   Parties
   
      Applicants: BASF AG (Ludwigshafen, Germany) (represented by: N. Levy, Barrister, J. Temple Lang, Solicitor, and C. Feddersen, Lawyer) and UCB SA (Brussels, Belguim) (represented by J. Bourgeois, J.-F. Bellis and M. Favart, Lawyers)
   
      Defendant: Commission of the European Communities (represented by: in Case T-101/05 A. Whelan and F. Amato and in Case T-111/05 initially O. Beynet and F. Amato, and subsequently X. Lewis and F. Amato, Agents)
   Re:
   Application for annulment or reduction of the fines imposed on the applicants by the Commission Decision of 9 December 2004 relating to a proceeding under Article 81 [EC] and Article 53 of the EEA Agreement (Case COMP/E-2/37.533 — Choline chloride) (summary published in OJ 2005 L 190, p. 22).
   Operative part of the judgment
   The Court:
   
               1.
            
            
               Disjoins Case T-112/05 Akzo Nobel and Others v Commission from Cases T-101/05 and T-111/05 for the purposes of the judgment;
            
         
               2.
            
            
               Annuls Article 1(b) and (f) of Commission Decision 2005/566/EC of 9 December 2004 relating to a proceeding under Article 81 [EC] and Article 53 of the EEA Agreement (Case COMP/E-2/37.533 — Choline Chloride) in so far as it makes a finding of infringement against BASF AG and UCB SA during the period before 29 November 1994 in BASF's case and before 14 March 1994 in UCB's case;
            
         
               3.
            
            
               In Case T-101/05, sets the fine imposed on BASF at EUR 35,024 million;
            
         
               4.
            
            
               In Case T-111/05, sets the fine imposed on UCB at EUR 1,870 million;
            
         
               5.
            
            
               Dismisses the remainder of the applications;
            
         
               6.
            
            
               In Case T-101/05, orders the parties to bear their own costs;
            
         
               7.
            
            
               In Case T-111/05, orders the Commission, in addition to bearing its own costs, to pay 90 % of the costs incurred by UCB.
            
         
      (1)  OJ C 115, 14.5.2005.