Judgment of the General Court (Third Chamber) of 16 October 2013 — Vivendi v Commission

(Case T‑432/10)

Competition — Abuse of dominant position — French broadband and telephone subscription market — Decision rejecting a complaint — Lack of Community interest — Significance of the alleged infringement as regards the functioning of the internal market — Probability of establishing the existence of the alleged infringement

1.                     Competition — Administrative procedure — Examination of complaints — Taking into account the Community interest in investigating a case — Criteria for assessment — Discretion of the Commission — Duty to state reasons for a decision to take no further action — Judicial review (Arts 101 TFEU, 102 TFEU, 105(1) TFEU and 296 TFEU; Commission Regulation No 773/2004, Art. 7(1)) (see paras 22-25, 27, 28, 33, 39, 68, 104-107, 126, 127)

2.                     Competition — Division of jurisdiction between the Court of Justice and the General Court — Right of the Commission to take into account its own surveillance carried out in the context of another procedure and the measures undertaken by the national authorities (Arts 101 TFEU and 102 TFEU; Council Regulation No 1/2003, Arts 4 and 5) (see paras 26, 44-47, 62, 76)

3.                     Actions for annulment — Commission decision involving appraisal of a complex economic matter — Judicial review — Limits (Arts 101 TFEU, 102 TFEU and 263 TFEU) (see para. 66-70)

4.                     Competition — Dominant position — Abuse — Margin squeeze — Concept — Criteria for assessment (Art. 102 TFEU) (see paras 109-114)

5.                     Competition — Administrative procedure — Rights of complainants — Access to documents — Scope (Arts 101 TFEU and 102 TFEU; Commission Regulation No 773/2004, Arts 7(1), and 8(1)) (see paras 132, 133, 138, 139)

Re:

APPLICATION for annulment of Commission Decision C(2010) 4730 of 2 July 2010, rejecting the complaint lodged by the applicant against France Télécom relating to an alleged abuse of a dominant position on the French broadband and telephone subscription market (Case COMP/C‑1/39.653 — Vivendi & Iliad/France Télécom).

Operative part

The Court:

1. Dismisses the application;

2. Orders Vivendi to bear its own costs and to pay those incurred by the European Commission;

3. Orders Orange to bear its own costs.