CELEX: C2002/323/09
Language: en
Date: 2002-12-21 00:00:00
Title: Judgment of the Court of 15 October 2002 In Joined Cases C-238/99 P, C-244/99 P, C-245/99 P, C-247/99 P, C-250/99 P to C-252/99 P and C-254/99 P: Limburgse Vinyl Maatschappĳ NV (LVM) and Others v Commission of the European Communities (Appeal — Competition — Polyvinylchloride (PVC) — Article 85(1) of the EC Treaty (now Article 81(1) EC) — Annulment of a Commission decision — New decision — Documents predating the first decision — Res judicata — Principle of non bis in idem — Limitation — Reasonable period — Statement of reasons — Access to the file — Fair hearing — Professional secrecy — Self-incrimination — Private life — Fines)

21.12.2002             EN                     Official Journal of the European Communities                                              C 323/9
                JUDGMENT OF THE COURT                                    Communities (Agents: J. Currall and W. Wils, assisted by M. H.
                                                                         van der Woude) (C-238/99 P and C-244/99 P), (Agent:
                                                                         R. M. Morresi), (C-245/99 P and C-251/99 P), (Agent: E. Mor-
                                                                         gan de Rivery), (C-247/99 P), and (Agent: A. Böhlke), (C-250/
                      of 15 October 2002                                 99 P and C-252/99 P), and by (Agent: M. D. Lloyd-Jones, QC
                                                                         (C-254/99 P), the Court, composed of: G.C. Rodríguez Iglesias,
                                                                         President, J.-P. Puissochet (President of Chamber), C. Gulmann
                                                                         (Rapporteur), D.A.O. Edward, A. La Pergola, P. Jann, F. Macken,
                                                                         N. Colneric and S. von Bahr, Judges, Advocate General:
In Joined Cases C-238/99 P, C-244/99 P, C-245/99 P,
                                                                         J. Mischo, Registrar: D. Louterman-Hubeau, Head of Division,
C-247/99 P, C-250/99 P to C-252/99 P and C-254/99 P:
Limburgse Vinyl Maatschappij NV (LVM) and Others v                       and L. Hewlett, Administrator, has given a judgment on
                                                                         15 October 2002, in which it has ruled:
       Commission of the European Communities ( 1)
                                                                         1.    Joins Cases C-238/99 P, C-244/99 P, C-245/99 P, C-247/
(Appeal — Competition — Polyvinylchloride (PVC) —                              99 P, C-250/99 P, C-251/99 P, C-252/99 P and C-254/
Article 85(1) of the EC Treaty (now Article 81(1) EC) —
                                                                               99 P for the purposes of the judgment.
Annulment of a Commission decision — New decision —
Documents predating the first decision — Res judicata —
Principle of non bis in idem — Limitation — Reasonable
period — Statement of reasons — Access to the file — Fair                2.    Partially annuls the judgment of the Court of First Instance of
hearing — Professional secrecy — Self-incrimination —                          20 April 1999 in Joined Cases T-305/94 to T-307/94,
                      Private life — Fines)                                    T-313/94 to T-316/94, T-318/94, T-325/94, T-328/94,
                                                                               T-329/94 and T-335/94 Limburgse Vinyl Maatschappij and
                                                                               Others v Commission to the extent that it:
                         (2002/C 323/09)
                                                                               —     dismissed the new plea raised by Montedison SpA alleging
                                                                                     infringement of its right of access to the Commission’s
                                                                                     file;
(Languages of the case: German, English, French, Italian and Dutch)
                                                                               —     failed to respond to the plea raised by Montedison SpA
                                                                                     alleging a definitive transfer to the Community judicature
                                                                                     of the power to impose penalties following the Com-
                                                                                     mission’s decision.
In Joined Cases C-238/99 P, C-244/99 P, C-245/99 P, C-247/
99 P, C-250/99 P to C-252/99 P and C-254/99 P, Limburgse                 3.    Dismisses the remainder of the appeals.
Vinyl Maatschappij NV (LVM), established in Brussels
(Belgium), (Agent: I. G. F. Cath), (C-238/99 P), DSM NV and
DSM Kunststoffen BV, established in Heerlen (Netherlands),               4.    Dismisses the action brought by Montedison SpA to the extent
(Agent: I. G. F. Cath), (C-244/99 P), Montedison SpA, estab-                   that it is based on, first, the plea alleging infringement of its
lished in Milan (Italy), (Agents: G. Celona and P. A. M. Ferrari),             right of access to the Commission’s file and, second, the plea
(C-245/99 P), Elf Atochem SA, established in Paris (France),                   alleging a definitive transfer to the Community judicature of the
(Agent: X. de Roux), (C-247/99 P), Degussa AG, formerly                        power to impose penalties following the Commission’s decision.
Degussa-Hüls AG, before that Hüls AG, established in Marl
(Germany), (Agent: F. Montag), (C-250/99 P), Enichem SpA,
established in Milan, (Agents: M. Siragusa and F. M. Moretti),
(C-251/99 P), Wacker-Chemie GmbH, established in Munich                  5.    Orders the appellants to pay the costs of the present proceedings.
(Germany), Hoechst AG, established in Frankfurt am Main                        The costs of the proceedings before the Court of First Instance
(Germany), (Agent: H. Hellmann), (C-252/99 P), Imperial                        leading to the judgment in Limburgse Vinyl Maatschappij v
Chemical Industries plc (ICI), established in London (United                   Commission, cited above, are to be borne in accordance with
Kingdom), (Agents: D. Vaughan and D. Anderson, K. Bacon,                       point 5 of the operative part of that judgment.
barrister, and also by R. J. Coles and S. Turner, solicitors),
(C-254/99 P): Appeals against the judgment of the Court of
First Instance of the European Communities (Third Chamber,
Extended Composition) of 20 April 1999 in Joined Cases                   (1 ) OJ C 352 of 4.12.1999.
T-305/94 to T-307/94, T-313/94 to T-316/94, T-318/94,
T-325/94, T-328/94, T-329/94 and T-335/94 Limburgse
Vinyl Maatschappij and Others v Commission [1999] ECR II-
931, seeking to have that judgment set aside, the other party
to the proceedings being: Commission of the European