CELEX: C2006/331/65
Language: en
Date: 2006-12-30 00:00:00
Title: Joined Cases T-259/02 to T-264/02 and T-271/02: Judgment of the Court of First Instance of 14 December 2006 — Raiffeisen Zentralbank Österreich and Others v Commission (Competition — Agreements, decisions and concerted practices — Austrian banking market — Lombard Club — Effect on trade between Member States — Calculation of fines)

30.12.2006   
            
            
               EN
            
            
               Official Journal of the European Union
            
            
               C 331/29
            
         Judgment of the Court of First Instance of 14 December 2006 — Raiffeisen Zentralbank Österreich and Others v Commission
   (Joined Cases T-259/02 to T-264/02 and T-271/02) (1)
   
   (Competition - Agreements, decisions and concerted practices - Austrian banking market - ‘Lombard Club’ - Effect on trade between Member States - Calculation of fines)
   (2006/C 331/65)
   Language of the case: German
   Parties
   
      Applicants: Raiffeisen Zentralbank Österreich AG (Vienna, Austria) (represented by: S. Völcker, lawyer) (Case T-259/02); Bank Austria Creditanstalt AG (Vienna) (represented by: C. Zschocke and J. Beninca, lawyers) (Case T-260/02); Anteilsverwaltung BAWAG PSK AG, formerly Bank für Arbeit und Wirtschaft AG, (Vienna) (represented by: initially H.-J. Niemeyer and M. von Hinden and then by H.-J. Niemeyer, lawyers) (Case T-261/02); Raiffeisenlandesbank Niederösterreich-Wien AG (Vienna) (represented by: H. Wollmann, lawyer) (Case T-262/02); BAWAG PSK Bank für Arbeit und Wirtschaft und Österreichische Postsparkasse AG, formerly Österreichische Postsparkasse AG (Vienna) (represented by: initially H.-J. Niemeyer and M. von Hinden and then by H.-J. Niemeyer, lawyers) (Case T-263/02); Erste Bank der oesterreichischen Sparkassen AG (Vienna) (represented by: initially W. Kirchhoff, F. Montag, G. Bauer and A. Wegner and then by F. Montag et A. Wegner, lawyers) (Case T 264/02); Österreichische Volksbanken AG (Vienna) and Niederösterreichische Landesbank-Hypothekenbank AG (St. Pölten, Austria) (represented by: R. Roniger, A. Ablasser, R. Bierwagen et F. Neumayr, lawyers) (Case T-271/02)
   
      Defendant: Commission of the European Communities (represented by: initially S. Rating and then by A. Bouquet, Agents, assisted by D. Waelbroeck and U. Zinsmeister, lawyers)
   Re:
   Primarily, applications for annulment in full or in part 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 reduction of the fines imposed on the applicants
   Operative part of the judgment
   The Court:
   
               1.
            
            
               In Case T-263/02, reduces the amount of the fine imposed on the Österreichische Postsparkasse AG, the predecessor in title of the applicant, by Article 3 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’) to EUR 3 795 000;
            
         
               2.
            
            
               Dismisses the actions as to the remainder;
            
         
               3.
            
            
               In Case T-259/02, dismisses the Commission's counterclaim;
            
         
               4.
            
            
               In Cases T-260/02 to T-262/02, T-264/02 and T-271/02, orders the applicants to pay the costs;
            
         
               5.
            
            
               In Case T-259/02, orders the applicant to bear its own costs and 90 % of the Commission's costs. The Commission is to bear 10 % of its own costs;
            
         
               6.
            
            
               In Case T-263/02, orders the parties to bear their own costs.
            
         
      (1)  OJ C 274, 9.11.2002.