natgillin/translations-raw huggingface dataset:
»Konkurrence — en retsakts nullitet — vedtagelser af sammenslutninger af virksomheder — kompliceret regelsæt — tilsidesættelse —påvirkning af samhandelen mellem medlemsstaterne — fritagelse — bøder* (Første Afdeling)
On 3 June 1980, the Erecode voor Ondernemers in het Bouwbedrijf (Code of honour for contractors in the building industry, hereinafter 'Code of Honour') was adopted by the General Assembly of the SPO and made binding on all the contractors belonging to the member associations of the SPO.
Faktiske omstændigheder prisdannelse«. Antallet af medlemsorganisationer i SPO er for tiden 28, og disse organisationer omfatter i alt mere end 4 000 bygge- og anlægsvirksomheder i Nederlandene.
In Article 1 of the decision the Commission finds that the statutes of the SPO of 10 December 1963, as subsequently amended, the two sets of UPR rules of 9 October 1986 and the regulations and annexes forming part of them, the previous and similar UPR rules which they replaced and the Code of Honour, except for Article 10 thereof, constituted infringements of Article 85(1) of the Treaty.
Fra 1952 blev der inden for den nederlandske bygge- og anlægsbranche oprettet en række entreprenørsammenslutninger, som var organiseret på sektor- eller regionalbasis.
In Article 2 of its decision, the Commission rejects the application made on 13 January 1988 for an exemption under Article 85(3) of the Treaty in respect of the UPR rules of 9 October 1986 and the Code of Honour.
Sammenslutningerne udfærdigede forskrifter for deres medlemmer om regulering af konkurrencen.
The purpose of those inspections was to establish whether the SPO rules were liable to affect trade between Member States.
Mellem 1973 og 1979 indførte de forskellige sammenslutninger ensartede regler under SPO's tilsyn (herefter benævnt »de gamle reglementer«).
On 13 January 1988 the SPO notified the UPR rules and the Code of Honour to the Commission with a view to obtaining a negative clearance or, in the alternative, an exemption under Article 85(3) of the EEC Treaty.
11963 stiftede disse sammenslutninger SPO, hvis formål ifølge artikel 3 i dennes vedtægter er »at arbejde for en velordnet konkurrence, at forhindre og bekæmpe utilbørlig adfærd ved tilbudsgivning og at fremme en sund
In Article 3(1) and (2) of the decision the Commission requires the SPO and its member organizations to bring to an end immediately the infringements found and to inform the undertakings concerned in writing of the content of the decision and the fact that the infringements have been brought to an end, indicating the practical consequences thereof, such as the freedom of each of such undertakings to withdraw at any time from the said rules and regulations.
virksomheder, der er tilsluttet SPO's medlemsorganisationer. Ved de etiske regler blev der indført en ensartet ordning for tildeling af sanktioner ved tilsidesættelse af de reglementer, som blev harmoniseret mellem 1973 og 1979.
meeting of 5 February 1992, authenticated at that time, in the language in which it is binding, by the signatures of the President and the Executive Secretary pursuant to the first paragraph of Article 12 of the Commission's Rules of Procedure in force at that time.
I beslutningens artikel 1 fastslår Kommissionen, at følgende bestemmelser er i strid med traktatens artikel 85, stk. 1: SPO's vedtægter af 10. december 1963 med senere ændringer, de to nævnte UPR af 9. oktober 1986, med tilhørende reglementer og bilag, de tilsvarende gamle UPR, som disse har afløst, samt de etiske regler, med undtagelse af disses artikel 10.
By application lodged on 13 April 1992 the SPO and 28 member associations of it brought an action seeking a declaration from the Court that Commission Decision 92/204/EEC was non­existent or, alternatively, a declaration that it was void.
Den 9. oktober 1986 vedtog SPO's generalforsamling to reglementer om en ensartet prisregulering (Uniforme Prijsregelende Regiementen; herefter benævnt »UPR«). Formålet med disse reglementer er at fastlægge en fremgangsmåde for udøvelsen af konkurrencen mellem flere entreprenører, som deltager i licitationer vedrørende bygge- og anlægsarbejder.
The applicants seek two orders: primarily, they seek a finding that the contested decision is non­existent or, at least, void for infringement of essential procedural requirements; in the alternative, they seek annulment of that decision.
Ved beslutningens artikel 3, stk. 1 og 2, pålægger Kommissionen SPO og dennes medlemsorganisationer omgående at bringe de konstaterede overtrædelser til ophør og at give de virksomheder, som er berørt deraf, skriftlig meddelelse dels om beslutningens indhold, dels om, at overtrædelserne er bragt til ophør, med angivelse af de deraf følgende konsekvenser i praksis, herunder at hver enkelt virksomhed til enhver tid kan undlade at følge disse reglementer.
However, the Court finds that the documents produced by the Commission in response to its order of 27 June 1994 confirm that the difference between the first text notified and the second was attributable to a technical defect in the operation of its electronic mail system which caused the loss of a page and that, consequently, the text notified on 26 February 1992 conformed perfectly with the text adopted by the college of Commissioners at its meeting of 5 February 1992.
Den 13. januar 1988 anmeldte SPO såvel de nævnte UPR og de etiske regler til Kommissionen, hovedsagelig for at opnå en negativattest og subsidiært for at opnå fritagelse i henhold til EØF-traktatens artikel 85, stk. 3.
The applicants claim, primarily, that by virtue of the caselaw of the Court of First Instance the contested decision is non-existent for breach of the principle of inalterability of measures and lack of competence — a page having been added thereto without the approval of the college of the Commissioners — and infringement of the rules on languages, since the college of Commissioners did not adopt the decision only in the language in which it was binding.
Ved beslutningens artikel 4 pålægger Kommissionen de 28 berørte foreninger bøder på i alt 22 498 000 ECU.
As regards compliance with the rules on the use of languages, it is clear from the letter sent by the DG IV official to the Secretariat General that the draft decision was submitted to the Commission in its Dutch language version, which is also borne out by the fact that, on 5 February 1992, the operative part of the decision was notified by fax to the applicants in the Dutch language.
Den 26. juli 1989 indgav kommunen i Rotterdam (Nederlandene) en klage til Kommissionen over visse afsnit i reglementerne.
It follows that there can be no question of any infringement of the rules on the use of languages in this case.
Ved stævning indleveret den 13. april 1992 har SPO samt 28 af dennes medlemsorganisationer anlagt sag med påstand om, at det fastslås, at Kommissionens beslutning 92/204/EØF er en nullitet, subsidiært annulleres.
The Court finds, first, that it follows from the judgment of the Court of Justice in Case C-137/92P, Commission ν BASF, that the gravity of the irregularities complained of by the applicants, which concern the procedure for adoption of the Commission decision, is not so clear that the decision must be regarded as legally non-existent.
Beslutningen manglede imidlertid en passage, og adresserne på de enkelte sammenslutninger af virksomheder, som var nævnt i beslutningens konklusion, var fejlagtige.
However, it is necessary to consider, secondly, whether the irregularities complained of by the applicants might, as they claim in the alternative, be such that the contested decision should be annulled for infringement of the principle of inalterability of measures and of the rules on the use of languages.
Sagsøgerne har nedlagt to påstande under sagen, for det første en principal påstand om, at det fastslås, at den anfægtede beslutning er en nullitet eller i det mindste ugyldig under hensyn til, at den er truffet i strid med væsentlige formforskrifter.
The Court considers that it is necessary, at the outset, to determine the scope of the Commission's obligation to define the relevant market before finding an infringement of Articles
Den principale påstand
85 and 86 of the Treaty.
Sagsøgerne har principalt gjort gældende, at den anfægtede beslutning er en nullitet ifølge Rettens praksis, da den er truffet i strid med princippet om, at en retsakt ikke må ændres, da den er udstedt af en inkompetent myndighed — idet der
As regards the inalterability of measures, the Court considered, that the fact that the text of the decision notified on 17 February 1992 did not correspond to the text notified on 26 February 1992 constituted, at first sight, serious and convincing evidence that the changes made to the first text had not been adopted by the college of Commissioners.
Den 26. februar 1992 tilsendte Kommissionen sagsøgerne en beslutning, som var dateret den 5. februar 1992 og forsynet med refnr. C(92) 66 endel., rev.
The approach to defining the relevant market differs according to whether Article 85 or Article 86 of the Treaty is to be applied.
version, som blev vedtaget af Kommissionen som kollegial enhed under mødet den 5. februar 1992.
statement, in which they maintained the same view regarding definition of the market, also related to the previous rules.
blev tilføjet en side i retsakten, som ikke var godkendt af Kommissionen som kollegial enhed - og da den er i strid med EFs sprogordning, idet den ikke blev vedtaget af Kommissionens som kollegial enhed på det eneste sprog, som var retsgyldigt
the existence of a dominant position in a given market, which presupposes that such a market has already been defined.
Hvad angår spørgsmålet om overholdelsen af EFs sprogordning finder Retten, at det fremgår af skrivelsen fra en tjenestemand i GD IV til Generalsekretariatet at udkastet til beslutningen blev forelagt Kommissionen i den nederlandske version heraf, hvilket tillige bekræftes af den omstændighed, at den nederlandske version af beslutningens konklusion blev meddelt sagsøgerne ved telex den 5. februar 1992.
For the purposes of applying Article 85, the reason for defining the relevant market is to determine whether the agreement, the decision by an association of undertakings or the concerted practice at issue is liable to affect trade between Member States and has as its object or effect the prevention, restriction or distortion of competition within the common market.
Retten skal for det første bemærke, at det fremgår af Domstolens dom af 15. juni 1994 i sagen Kommissionen mod BASF m.fl., at de fejl, som sagsøgerne har foreholdt Kommissionen med hensyn til proceduren for vedtagelsen af dens beslutning, ikke er så åbenbart grove, at beslutningen bør anses for en nullitet
Moreover, the applicants have not been able to indicate any substantial differences between the previous rules and the rules introduced in 1987 or as between the various sets of previous rules themselves. It must be concluded that the various sets of previous rules applied in the same way to each of the sectors and each of the geographical areas covered by them.
Følgelig er sprogordningen ikke blevet tilsidesat i den foreliggende sag.
Second limb: misapprehension of the content and scope of the contested rules
Første anbringende: tihidesættelse af traktatens artikel 85, stk. 1
The merits of this approach are confirmed by the fact that, in their application for negative clearance or an exemption, the applicants dealt with the issue of definition of the market only in the part concerning effects on trade between Member States.
Det må dog tillige undersøges, om de fejl, som sagsøgerne har foreholdt Kommissionen, kan indebære, at den anfægtede beslutning må annulleres som værende dels i strid med princippet om, at der ikke må ændres i en udstedt retsakt, dels i strid med EFs sprogordning, således som det subsidiært er gjort gældende af sagsøgerne.
In treating the building market in the Netherlands as a whole as the relevant market, the Commission merely followed the approach adopted by the applicants in their notification of the UPR rules with a view to obtaining a negative clearance or an exemption and in their reply to the statement of objections.
Første led: fejlafgrænsning af det relevante marked
The Commission properly adopted that definition of the market, since the rules introduced in 1987 apply without distinction to all the eight sectors concerned.
Retten finder, at det først bør afgøres, i hvilket omfang Kommissionen er forpligtet til at afgrænse et marked, før den fastslår, at traktatens artikel 85 og 86 er tilsidesat
However, the applicants maintain their criticism of the definition of the market as regards the previous rules, asserting that the view adopted by them in the administrative procedure was dictated by the fact that their application for a negative clearance or exemption related to the rules introduced in 1987 whereas the decision also incriminates the previous rules, which were different for each sector.
Dette var begrundelsen for, at Retten den 27. juni 1994 tilpligtede Kommissionen at fremlægge den beslutning, som den havde vedtaget under sit møde den 5. februar 1992, med de daværende underskrifter på originalsprogets version fra formanden og generalsekretæren, således som det er fastsat i artikel 12, stk. 1, i Kommissionens dagældende forretningsorden.
The second group of objections is directed against the fact that, during such concertation, parts of prices are fixed, the prices proposed are sometimes changed and partial prices are also fixed.
Herom bemærkes, at afgrænsningen af det relevante marked ikke har samme betydning ved anvendelsen af traktatens artikel 85 og 86.
The third group of objections relates to the fact that following such concertation, one of the contractors — the entitled undertaking -enjoys protection from the other participants in the concertation since the latter lose the right to negotiate their tender with the client.
Ved anvendelsen af artikel 86 er en fyldestgørende afgrænsning af det pågældende marked en nødvendig forudsætning for at kunne bedømme den adfærd, der hævdes at være konkurrencebegrænsende, da det for at fastslå, at der foreligger et misbrug af en dominerende stilling er nødvendigt først at fastslå, at der overhovedet foreligger en dominerende stilling på et bestemt marked, hvilket igen forudsætter, at der er foretaget en afgrænsning af dette marked.
The entitled undertaking also enjoys protection from the other members of the applicants in that, if they are subsequently approached, they will be able to submit a tender only with its consent or that of a committee of contractors, and only then if that tender is lower by a specified percentage than that of the entitled undertaking.
Ved anvendelsen af artikel 85 er det nødvendigt at foretage denne afgrænsning af det pågældende marked for at kunne afgøre, om aftalen, vedtagelsen inden for den pågældende sammenslutning af virksomheder eller den pågældende samordnede praksis har til formål eller følge at hindre, begrænse eller fordreje konkurrencen inden for fællesmarkedet
The fourth group of objections concerns the fact that the rules confer on the members of the applicants advantages in their competition with third parties.
Retten må imidlertid konstatere, at det bekræftes af de dokumenter, som Kommissionen har fremlagt på foranledning af Rettens kendelse af 27. juni 1994, at forskellen mellem den første og den anden version, som blev forkyndt, skyldtes en teknisk fejl i Kommissionens interne system for elektronisk post som medførte, at der forsvandt en side.
In that connection, it is important to note that, whilst it is true that the considerations set out in the notification related only to the rules introduced in 1987, the statement of objections was directed also against the previous rules.
Den version, som blev forkyndt den 26. februar 1992, svarede derfor fuldstændig til den
Consequently, the applicants' reply to that
Dette er begrundelsen for, at man ved anvendelsen af artikel 85 ikke kan vurdere sagsøgernes anbringender vedrørende
The applicants look at those groups of objections from various angles: they either draw attention to the beneficial effects which the rules have on competition and therefore for consumers, or they challenge the factual basis of the objections, or else they reject the legal characterization of the
samme måde inden for hver af de sektorer og geografiske områder, som de omfattede.
facts as constituting an infringement of Article 85(1) of the Treaty.
Andet led: misfortolkning af de omtvistede reglementers indhold og anvendelsesområde
incompatible with Article 85(1) of the Treaty, even where the invitation sets unreasonable conditions.
Kommissionens afgrænsning af det pågældende marked, isoleret i forhold til deres anbringender vedrørende påvirkningen af samhandelen mellem medlemsstaterne og begrænsningen af konkurrencen.
It must next be observed that, contrary to the applicants' assertions, the information exchanged does not relate solely to the invitation to tender.
Herved bemærkes, at Kommissionen, da den lagde til grund, at bygge- og anlægsbranchen i Nederlandene som helhed måtte anses for det relevante marked, blot fulgte det samme synspunkt, som sagsøgerne havde anlagt i deres anmeldelse af UPR med henblik på opnåelse af negativattest eller fritagelse og i deres besvarelse af meddelelsen om klagepunkter.
Secondly, the beneficial effects of the rules described by the applicants cannot be taken into consideration for the purposes of Article 85(1) of the Treaty but are pertinent only to the application of the criteria laid down by Article 85(3) of the Treaty.
Kommissionen tilsluttede sig med rette denne afgrænsning af markedet i det omfang, hvori de reglementer, som blev indført i 1987, gælder uden forskel for samtlige otte sektorer.
II - Concertation between contractors intending to submit a price tender
Sagsøgerne har dog fastholdt deres kritik hvad angår afgrænsningen af markedet i relation til de tidligere gældende reglementer, idet de anfører, at den opfattelse, som de gjorde gældende under den administrative procedure, var begrundet i, at deres ansøgning om negativattest eller om fritagelse vedrørte de i 1987 indførte reglementer, hvorimod også de reglementer, som gjaldt for hver enkelt sektor før 1987, var påtalt i den anfægtede beslutning.
The Commission has sufficiently established that, at the meetings held by them under their rules, the contractors exchange information relating in particular to the costs of the product concerned, its specific characteristics and a breakdown of the price tenders, although that is information which an independent operator would keep strictly secret as confidential business information.
Det bemærkes, at der i den anfægtede beslutning i det væsentlige er rettet fire forskellige klagepunkter mod de af sagsøgerne vedtagne reglementer.
It should also be noted that at those meetings the participants exchange price information.
Det andet klagepunkt er, at der under dette samråd fastsættes dele af priser, at prisoverslagene undertiden ændres, og at der endvidere fastsættes delpriser.
The Court finds that the concertation starts with the obligation of the applicants' members to notify the relevant SPO office of their intention to submit a price tender.
Det tredje klagepunkt er, at en af entreprenørerne, nemlig den forhandlingsberettigede, efter dette samråd nyder beskyttelse over for de øvrige deltagere i samrådet, da disse fortaber retten til at forhandle deres bud med bygherren.
The Court agrees with the Commission that the fact that the relevant office can disclose to those notifying undertakings which so request the number of undertakings which have lodged a notification may be liable to restrict competition since the notifying undertakings are thereby enabled to anticipate the intensity of competition between them and to modify their conduct accordingly, as well as to obtain information not yet available at that stage to undertakings which are not SPO members.
Den forhandlingsberettigede virksomhed nyder endvidere beskyttelse mod de øvrige entreprenører, som er medlemmer af de sagsøgende organisationer, da disse ikke, såfremt der rettes henvendelse til dem på et senere tidspunkt, kan afgive bud uden den forhandlingsberettigede virksomheds samtykke eller samtykke fra et entreprenørudvalg og ikke, medmindre dette bud er lavere end en vis procentdel af den forhandlingsberettigedes bud.
It follows that the Commission was right to consider in its decision that such concertation between contractors, having in particular the object and effect of concealing from his competitors the course of conduct which each contractor has decided to adopt or contemplates adopting on the market and may lead to the fixing of certain conditions for the transaction, means that practical cooperation between contractors is deliberately substituted for the risks of competition and therefore constitutes an infringement of Article 85(1) of the Treaty.
I så henseende bemærkes, at sagsøgernes betragtninger i anmeldelsen udelukkende vedrørte de i 1987 indførte reglementer, hvorimod Kommissionen også påtalte de gamle reglementer i meddelelsen om klagepunkter.
The rules provide for two types of price increases to be added uniformly to the price tenders of the various contractors taking part in the meeting, which will therefore be borne by the party awarding the contract.
Følgelig vedrørte sagsøgernes svar på denne meddelelse, hvori sagsøgerne fastholdt deres synspunkt om markedets afgrænsning, også de gamle reglementer.
They are, first, the reimbursement of calculation expenses and, secondly, the contributions to the operating costs of the trade organizations
For det første fremhæver sagsøgerne reglementernes fordelagtige virkninger for konkurrencen og dermed for forbrugerne, for det andet bestrider de, at klagepunkterne har grundlag i de faktiske forhold, og for det tredje bestrider de den retlige kvalifikation af de faktiske omstændigheder i forhold til traktatens artikel 85, stk. 1.
They concede, however, that the information exchanged may also concern the stance which should be taken regarding certain conditions imposed by the contract awarder where those conditions are unreasonable. The Commission contends that the exchange of information goes much further and relates to the manner in which the various contractors intend responding to the invitation to tender.
Følgelig må de forskellige reglementer, som tidligere var i kraft, antages at have gjaldt på
The Court finds, first, that concertation by contractors regarding the manner in which they intend responding to an invitation to tender is
sagsøgernes reglementer bør betragtes som et hele, der ikke kan holdes kunstigt adskilt fra de enkelte elementer, som indgår deri.
of having to pay the SPO office a sum representing 3% of the contract price if either the party awarding the contract or the main contractor approaches others with a view to awarding the contract in question.
Endvidere må det konstateres, at de udvekslede oplysninger ikke, som hævdet af sagsøgerne, udelukkende vedrører opfordringen til afgivelse af tilbud.
It follows that in this area too this system may result in a price increase.
Endvidere bemærkes, at der ikke ved anvendelsen af traktatens artikel 85, stk. 1, kan tages hensyn til de fordelagtige virkninger af reglementerne, som sagsøgerne har påberåbt sig, men udelukkende i forbindelse med anvendelsen af kriterierne i traktatens artikel 85, stk. 3.
Secondly, as regards the question whether such fixing of a part of the price results in the elimination of competition between contractors in relation to calculation costs, thereby favouring the least efficient contractors in that respect at the expense of the most efficient, it is ncessary to consider whether, as the applicants claim, the contractors are in a position to anticipate correctly the amount of the reimbursement they will receive in respect of calculation costs and, if so, whether, because of its flat-rate basis, the system is entirety neutral in so rar as each contractor can reduce his price tender by an amount equal to the difference between the calculation costs actually incurred and the reimbursement due.
II—Samråd mellem entreprenører, som påtænker af afgive bud
IV — Limitation of contractors' and contract awarders' freedom of negotiation