CELEX: 62007CA0125
Language: en
Date: 2009-09-24 00:00:00
Title: Joined Cases C-125/07 P, C-133/07 P, C-135/07 P and C-137/07 P: Judgment of the Court (Second Chamber) of 24 September 2009 — Erste Group Bank AG, formerly Erste Bank der österreichischen Sparkassen AG (C-125/07 P), Raiffeisen Zentralbank Österreich AG (C-133/07 P), Bank Austria Creditanstalt AG (C-135/07 P), Österreichische Volksbanken AG (C-137/07 P) v Commission of the European Communities (Appeal — Agreements, decisions and concerted practices — Fixing by Austrian banks of credit and debit interest rates — Lombard Club — Effect on trade between Member States — Calculation of fines — Takeover of undertakings — Concrete impact on the market — Implementation of the cartel)

21.11.2009   
            
            
               EN
            
            
               Official Journal of the European Union
            
            
               C 282/3
            
         Judgment of the Court (Second Chamber) of 24 September 2009 — Erste Group Bank AG, formerly Erste Bank der österreichischen Sparkassen AG (C-125/07 P), Raiffeisen Zentralbank Österreich AG (C-133/07 P), Bank Austria Creditanstalt AG (C-135/07 P), Österreichische Volksbanken AG (C-137/07 P) v Commission of the European Communities
   (Joined Cases C-125/07 P, C-133/07 P, C-135/07 P and C-137/07 P) (1)
   
   (Appeal - Agreements, decisions and concerted practices - Fixing by Austrian banks of credit and debit interest rates - ‘Lombard Club’ - Effect on trade between Member States - Calculation of fines - Takeover of undertakings - Concrete impact on the market - Implementation of the cartel)
   2009/C 282/03
   Language of the case: German
   
      Parties
   
   
      Appellants: Erste Group Bank AG, formerly Erste Bank der österreichischen Sparkassen AG (C-125/07 P) (represented by: F. Montag, Rechtsanwalt), Raiffeisen Zentralbank Österreich AG (C-133/07 P) (represented by: S. Völcker and G. Terhorst, Rechtsanwälte), Bank Austria Creditanstalt AG (C-135/07 P) (represented by: C. Zschocke and J. Beninca, Rechtsanwälte), Österreichische Volksbanken AG (C-137/07 P) (represented by: A. Ablasser, R. Bierwagen and F. Neumayr, Rechtsanwälte)
   
      Other party to the proceedings: Commission of the European Communities (represented by: A. Bouquet and R. Sauer, Agents, D. Waelbroeck, avocat, and U. Zinsmeister, Rechstanwältin)
   
      Re:
   
   Appeals brought against the judgment of the Court of First Instance (Second Chamber) of 14 December 2006 in Joined Cases T-259/02 to T-264/02 and T-271/02, here with regard to Case T-264/02 Erste Bank der österreichischen Sparkassen v Commission, by which the Court dismissed in part the action, primarily, for annulment of Commission Decision 2004/138/EC of 11 June 2002 relating to a proceeding under Article 81 of the EC Treaty (Case COMP/36.571/D-1: Austrian banks — ‘Lombard Club’) (OJ 2004 L 56, p. 1) and, in the alternative, for the reduction of the fines imposed on the applicants — Cartel concerning the banking products and services market — Effect on trade between Member States — Method of calculating fines
   
      Operative part of the judgment
   
   The Court:
   
               1.
            
            
               Dismisses the appeals;
            
         
               2.
            
            
               Orders Erste Group Bank AG, formerly Erste Bank der österreichischen Sparkassen AG, Raiffeisen Zentralbank Österreich AG, Bank Austria Creditanstalt AG and Österreichische Volksbanken AG to pay the costs.
            
         
      (1)  OJ C 117, 26.5.2007.