CELEX: 62004TO0113
Language: en
Date: 2007-12-12 00:00:00
Title: Order of the Court of First Instance (Third Chamber) of 12 December 2007. # Atlantic Container Line AB and Others v Commission of the European Communities. # Enforcement of a judgment of the Court of First Instance - Repayment of the costs of bank guarantees provided in order to defer payment of a fine imposed by the Commission and subsequently annulled by the Court of First Instance - Action for annulment and damages - Non-contractual liability of the Community - No direct causal link between the allegedly unlawful conduct of the institution and the damage claimed. # Case T-113/04.

Order of the Court of First Instance (Third Chamber) of 12 December 2007 – Atlantic Container Line and Others v Commission
      (Case T-113/04)
      Enforcement of a judgment of the Court of First Instance – Repayment of the costs of bank guarantees provided in order to defer payment of a fine imposed by the Commission and subsequently
         annulled by the Court of First Instance – Action for annulment and damages – Non‑contractual liability of the Community – No direct causal link between the allegedly unlawful conduct of the institution and the damage claimed
      
      1.                     Actions for annulment – Judgment annulling a measure – Effects – Obligation to implement – No remedy based on Articles 220
            EC and 233 EC – Possibility for parties to argue their rights on the basis of Articles 230 EC and 232 EC (Arts 220 EC, 230
            EC, 232 EC and 233 EC) (see paras 22-23)
      2.                     Non-contractual liability – Conditions – Unlawfulness – Damage – Causal link – Meaning – Costs of a bank guarantee arising
            from an undertaking’s choice not to pay the fine imposed by the Commission – No direct causal link (EC Treaty, Arts 185 and
            192, first para. (now Arts 242 EC and 256, first para., EC); Art. 288, second para., EC) (see paras 31-40)
      3.                     Actions for annulment – Judgment annulling a measure – Effects – Judgment annulling the fine imposed on an undertaking for
            infringement of the competition rules or reducing the amount of the fine – Obligation to implement – Scope – Repayment of
            the sum unduly paid and payment of default interest – Included – Costs of bank guarantee – Not included (Art. 233 EC) (see
            paras 58-65)
      Re:
      
         APPLICATION, first, for annulment of the Commission letter of 6 January 2004 refusing to repay the costs of the bank guarantees
                  which the applicants entered into following the imposition of fines by Commission Decision 1999/243/EC of 16 September 1998
                  relating to a proceeding pursuant to Articles 85 and 86 of the EC Treaty (now Articles 81 EC and 82 EC) (Case No IV/35.134
                  – Trans‑Atlantic Conference Agreement) (OJ 1999 L 95, p. 1), annulled by judgment of the Court of First Instance of 30 September
                  2003 in Joined Cases T‑191/98 and T‑212/98 to T‑214/98 
               
               Atlantic Container Line and Others
                v 
               Commission
                [2003] ECR II‑3275, and, secondly, for damages seeking repayment of those costs.
            Operative part
      The Court:
      
         
                  1.
               
               
                  
               
               
                  	Dismisses the action;
               
            
         
                  2.
               
               
                  
               
               
                  	Orders the applicants to pay the costs.