CELEX: C1999/160/34
Language: en
Date: 1999-06-05 00:00:00
Title: Judgment of the Court of First Instance of 20 April 1999 in Joined Cases T-305/94, T-306/94, T-307/94, T-313/94, T-314/94, T-315/94, T-316/94, T-318/94, T-325/94, T-328/94, T-329/94 and T-335/94: Limburgse Vinyl Maatschappij NV and Others v. Commission of the European Communities (Competition - article 85 of the EC Treaty - Effects of a judgment annulling a measure - Rights of the defence - Fine)

5.6.1999                 EN                     Official Journal of the European Communities                                         C 160/17
    JUDGMENT OF THE COURT OF FIRST INSTANCE                                   JUDGMENT OF THE COURT OF FIRST INSTANCE
                         of 11 March 1999                                                          of 20 April 1999
in Case T-157/94: Empresa Nacional Siderúrgica, SA                        in Joined Cases T-305/94, T-306/94, T-307/94, T-313/94,
(Ensidesa) v. Commission of the European Communi-                          T-315/94, T-316/94, T-318/94, T-325/94, T-328/94,
                                 ties (1)                                  T-329/94 and T-335/94: Limburgse Vinyl Maatschappij
                                                                           NV and Others v. Commission of the European Communi-
                                                                                                        ties (1)
(ECSC Treaty — Competition — Agreements between
undertakings, decisions by associations of undertakings and                (Competition — article 85 of the EC Treaty — Effects of a
concerted practices — Price-fixing — Market sharing —                      judgment annulling a measure — Rights of the defence —
            Systems for the exchange of information)                                                     Fine)
                           (1999/C 160/33)                                                          (1999/C 160/34)
                     (Language of the case: Spanish)                       (Languages of the case: German, English, French, Italian and Dutch)
In case T-157/94: Empresa Nacional Siderúrgica, SA (Ensidesa),            In cases T-305/94, T-306/94, T-307/94, T-313/94, T-315/94,
having its registered office in Avilés (Spain), represented by             T-316/94, T-318/94, T-325/94, T-328/94, T-329/94 and
Santiago Martinez Lage and Jaime Pérez-Bustamante Köster, of               T-335/94 : Limburgse Vinyl Maatschappij NV, established in
the Madrid Bar, with an address for service in Luxembourg at               Brussels, represented by Inne G. F. Cath, an advocate with right
the Chambers of Aloyse May, 31, Grand-Rue, v. Commission                   of audience before the Hoge Raad der Nederlanden, with an
of the European Communities (Agents: initially Julian Currall,             address for service in Luxembourg at the Chambers of Lambert
Francisco Enrique González-Diaz and Géraud Sajust de Bergu-               Dupong, 4-6, rue de la Boucherie, ELF Atochem SA, established
es, and subsequently Jean-Louis Dewost, Julian Currall and Guy             in Paris, represented by Xavier de Roux, Charles-Henri Léger
Charrier, assisted by Ricardo Garcı́a Vicente) — application for           and Jacques-Philippe Gunther, all of the Paris Bar, with an
the annulment of Commission Decision 94/215/ECSC of                        address for service in Luxembourg at the Chambers of Jacques
16 February 1994 relating to a proceeding pursuant to article              Loesch, 11, rue Goethe, BASF AG, established in Ludwigshafen,
65 of the ECSC Treaty concerning agreements and concerted                  Germany, represented by Ferdinand Hermanns, of the Düssel-
practices engaged in by European producers of beams (OJ                    dorf Bar, with an address for service at the Chambers of
L 116, 6.5.1994, p. 1) — the Court of First Instance                       Jacques Loesch and Marc Wolters, 11, rue Goethe, Shell
(Second Chamber, Extended Composition), composed of:                       International Chemical Company Ltd, established in London,
C. W. Bellamy, acting as President, A. Potocki and J. Pirrung,             represented by Kenneth B. Parker, QC, instructed by John
Judges; J. Palacio González, Administrator, for the Registrar,            W. Osborne, Solicitor, with an address for service in Luxem-
has given a judgment on 11 March 1999, in which it:                        bourg at the Chambers of Jean Hoss, 2, place Winston
                                                                           Churchill, DSM NV and DSM Kunststoffen BV, established in
                                                                           Heerlen, Netherlands, represented by Inne G F. Cath, an
1. fixes at EUR 3 350 000 the amount of the fine imposed on the            advocate with a right of audience before the Hoge Raad der
     applicant by article 4 of Commission Decision 94/215/ECSC of          Nederlanden, with an address for service in Luxembourg at the
     16 February 1994 relating to a proceeding pursuant to article 65      Chambers of Lambert Dupong, 4-6, rue de la Boucherie,
     of the ECSC Treaty concerning agreements and concerted practices      Wacker-Chemie GmbH, established in Munich, Germany,
     engaged in by European producers of beams,                            Hoechst AG, established in Frankfurt-am-Main, Germany, both
                                                                           represented by Hans Hellmann and Hans-Joachim Hellmann,
                                                                           Rechtsanwälte, Cologne, with an address for service in Luxem-
2. dismisses the remainder of the action,                                  bourg at the Chambers of Jacques Loesch and Marc Wolters,
                                                                           11, rue Goethe, Société artésienne de Vinyle, established in
                                                                           Paris, represented by Bernard van de Walle de Ghelcke, of the
3. orders the applicant to bear its own costs and to pay three             Brussels Bar, with an address for service in Luxembourg at the
     quarters of the defendant’s costs. The defendant shall bear a         Chambers of Alex Schmitt, 7, Val Sainte-Croix, Montedison
     quarter of its own costs.                                             SpA, established in Milan, Italy, represented by Giuseppe
                                                                           Celona, Giorgio Aghina, of the Milan Bar, and Piero Angelo
                                                                           Maria Ferrari, of the Rome Bar, with an address for service in
                                                                           Luxembourg at the Chambers of Georges Margue, 20, rue
(1) OJ C 146, 28.5.1994.                                                   Philippe II, Imperial Chemical Industries plc, established in
                                                                           London, represented by David Vaughan QC and David Ander-
                                                                           son, Barrister, instructed by Victor White and Richard Coles,
                                                                           Solicitors, with an address for service in Luxembourg at the
                                                                           Chambers of Lambert Dupong, 4-6, rue de la Boucherie, Hüls
                                                                           AG, established in Marl, Germany, represented initially by
 ---pagebreak--- C 160/18                  EN                     Official Journal of the European Communities                                        5.6.1999
Hansjürgen Herrmann, Rechtsanwalt, Cologne, and sub-                            JUDGMENT OF THE COURT OF FIRST INSTANCE
sequently by Frank Montag, Rechtsanwalt, Cologne, with an
address for service in Luxembourg at the Chambers of Jacques
Loesch, 11, rue Goethe, Enichem SpA, established in Milan,
represented by Mario Siragusa, of the Rome Bar, and Francesca                                       of 25 March 1999
Maria Moretti, of the Bologna Bar, with an address for service
at the Chambers of Elvinger, Hoss and Prussen, 2, place
Winston Churchill v. Commission of the European Communi-
ties (Agents : represented initially by Berend Jan Drijber, Julian          in Case T-102/96: Gencor Ltd v. Commission of the
Currall and Marc van der Woude, assisted by Éric Morgan de                                   European Communities (1)
Rivery, Alexandre Böhlke, David Lloyd Jones, Renzo Maria
Morresi and Nicholas Forwood, and subsequently by Julian
Currall, also assisted by Marc van der Woude) — application                 (Competition - Regulation (EEC) No 4064/89 — Decision
for the annulment of Commission Decision 94/599/EC of                       declaring a concentration incompatible with the common
27 July 1994 relating to a proceeding pursuant to Article 85                market — Action for annulment — Admissibility — Legal
of the EC Treaty (IV/31.865 - PVC) (OJ L 239, 14.9.1994,                    interest in bringing proceedings — Territorial scope of
p. 14) — the Court of First Instance (Third Chamber, Extended               Regulation (EEC) No 4064/89 — Collective dominant pos-
Composition), composed of: V. Tiili, President, K. Lenaerts and                                  ition — Commitments)
A. Potocki, Judges; J. Palacio González, Administrator, for the
Registrar, has given a judgment on 20 April 1999, in which it:
                                                                                                     (1999/C 160/35)
1. joins cases T-305/94, T-306/94, T-307/94, T-313/94,
     T-314/94, T-315/94, 316/94, T-318/94, T-325/94,
     T-328/94, T-329/94 and T-335/94 for the purposes of the
     judgment,
                                                                                              (Language of the case: English)
2. annuls Article 1 of Commission Decision 94/599/EC of 27 July
     1994 relating to a proceeding pursuant to Article 85 of the EC         In case T-102/96: Gencor Ltd, established in Johannesburg,
     Treaty (IV/31.865 - PVC) in so far as it holds that Société            Republic of South Africa, represented by Paul Lasok QC,
     artésienne de Vinyle participated in the infringement in question      instructed by James Flynn and David Hall, Solicitors, London,
     after the first half of 1981,                                          with an address for service in Luxembourg at the Chambers of
                                                                            Marc Loesch, 11, rue Goethe, v. Commission of the European
                                                                            Communities (Agent: Richard Lyal), supported by Federal
                                                                            Republic of Germany, represented by Ernst Röder, Minis-
3. reduces the fines imposed by Article 3 of that decision on Elf           terialrat, and Bernd Kloke, Oberregierungsrat, application for
     Atochem SA, Société artésienne de Vinyle and Imperial Chemical         the annulment of Commission Decision 97/26/EC of 24 April
     Industries plc to EUR 2 600 000, EUR 135 000 and EUR                   1996 declaring a concentration to be incompatible with the
     1 550 000 respectively,                                                common market and the functioning of the EEA Agreement
                                                                            (Case No IV/M.619 — Gencor /Lonrho) (OJ L 11, 14.1.1997,
                                                                            p. 30) — the Court (Fifth Chamber, Extended Composition),
4. dismisses the remainder of the actions,                                  composed of: J. Azizi, President, B. Vesterdorf, R. Garcı́a-
                                                                            Valdecasas, R. M. Moura Ramos and M. Jaeger; J. Palacio
                                                                            González and A. Mair, Administrators, for the Registrar, has
                                                                            given a judgment on 25 March 1999, in which it:
5. orders each applicant to bear both its own costs and those of the
     Commission in the case which it has brought. However, in Cases
     T-307/94 and T-328/94, Elf Atochem SA, Imperial Chemical               1. dismisses the application,
     Industries plc and the Commission are each ordered to bear their
     own costs. In Case T-318/94, Société artésienne de Vinyle is
     ordered to bear two thirds of its own costs and the Commission         2. orders the applicant to bear its own costs and those incurred by
     is ordered to bear one third of the applicant’s costs in addition to        the Commission,
     its own costs.
                                                                            3. orders the Federal Republic of Germany to bear its own costs.
(1) OJ C 331, 26.11.1994.
                                                                            (1) OJ C 247, 24.8.1996.