Judgment of the General Court (Second Chamber), 27 June 2012

Bolloré v European Commission

Competition — Agreements, decisions and concerted practices — Market for carbonless paper — Price-fixing — Decision finding an infringement of Article 101 TFEU — Decision adopted following annulment of a first decision — Imputation of the infringement to the parent company in its capacity as direct participant — Principle that offences and penalties must have a proper basis in law — Legal certainty — Principle that penalties must be applied only to the offender — Fair hearing — Equal treatment — Reasonable time — Rights of the defence — Fines — Limitation period — Attenuating circumstances — Cooperation

Case T‑372/10



Top of the page Documents in the Case
Document Date Name of the parties Subject-matter Curia EUR-Lex Autres Liens
Judgment (OJ)
20/07/2012 Bolloré v Commission
Judgment
ECLI:EU:T:2012:325
27/06/2012 Bolloré v Commission
Judgment (Summary)
ECLI:EU:T:2012:325
27/06/2012 Bolloré v Commission
Application (OJ)
06/11/2010 Bolloré v Commission
Top of the page Legal analysis of the decision or of the case

Reports of Cases

published in the electronic Reports of Cases (Court Reports - general)

Subject-matter

Annulment in part of Commission Decision C(2010) 4160 final of 23 June 2010 relating to a proceeding under Article 101 TFEU and Article 53 of the EEA Agreement (Case COMP/36.212 – Carbonless paper) concerning a cartel in the carbonless paper market relating to the fixing of prices, the sharing of the market and the exchange of sensitive commercial information and, in the alternative, a reduction in the fine imposed on the applicants.

Systematic classification scheme

1.
1 The legal order of the European Union
  1.04 Fundamental rights
    1.04.03 The fundamental rights
      1.04.03.49 Principles of legality and proportionality of criminal offences and penalties
4 Internal policy of the European Union
  4.08 Competition
    4.08.00 EU competition rules
      4.08.00.06 Definition of undertaking
1 The legal order of the European Union
  1.01 Sources of EU law
    1.01.02 General principles of law
      1.01.02.04 Legal certainty
4 Internal policy of the European Union
  4.08 Competition
    4.08.01 Agreements, decisions and concerted practices
      4.08.01.07 null
        4.08.01.07.02 null
          4.08.01.07.02.04 null
            4.08.01.07.02.04.02
4 Internal policy of the European Union
  4.08 Competition
    4.08.00 EU competition rules
      4.08.00.06 Definition of undertaking
1 The legal order of the European Union
  1.04 Fundamental rights
    1.04.03 The fundamental rights
      1.04.03.47 Right to an effective remedy and to a fair trial
4 Internal policy of the European Union
  4.08 Competition
    4.08.03 Implementation of the competition rules
      4.08.03.02 Procedure for the application of the competition rules by the Commission
        4.08.03.02.06 Hearing of persons concerned and of third parties / Access to the file
1 The legal order of the European Union
  1.04 Fundamental rights
    1.04.03 The fundamental rights
      1.04.03.47 Right to an effective remedy and to a fair trial
4 Internal policy of the European Union
  4.08 Competition
    4.08.03 Implementation of the competition rules
      4.08.03.02 Procedure for the application of the competition rules by the Commission
        4.08.03.02.08 Decision of the Commission
4 Internal policy of the European Union
  4.08 Competition
    4.08.03 Implementation of the competition rules
      4.08.03.02 Procedure for the application of the competition rules by the Commission
        4.08.03.02.08 Decision of the Commission
4 Internal policy of the European Union
  4.08 Competition
    4.08.03 Implementation of the competition rules
      4.08.03.02 Procedure for the application of the competition rules by the Commission
        4.08.03.02.08 Decision of the Commission
4 Internal policy of the European Union
  4.08 Competition
    4.08.03 Implementation of the competition rules
      4.08.03.03 Fines imposed by the Commission
        4.08.03.03.05 Compliance with general principles and fundamental rights
          4.08.03.03.05.01 Equal treatment
1 The legal order of the European Union
  1.04 Fundamental rights
    1.04.03 The fundamental rights
      1.04.03.41 Right to good administration
1 The legal order of the European Union
  1.04 Fundamental rights
    1.04.03 The fundamental rights
      1.04.03.47 Right to an effective remedy and to a fair trial
4 Internal policy of the European Union
  4.08 Competition
    4.08.03 Implementation of the competition rules
      4.08.03.02 Procedure for the application of the competition rules by the Commission
        4.08.03.02.00 General
4 Internal policy of the European Union
  4.08 Competition
    4.08.03 Implementation of the competition rules
      4.08.03.03 Fines imposed by the Commission
        4.08.03.03.07 Payment of the fine
          4.08.03.03.07.00 General
1 The legal order of the European Union
  1.01 Sources of EU law
    1.01.02 General principles of law
      1.01.02.05 Rights of the defence and procedural guarantees
4 Internal policy of the European Union
  4.08 Competition
    4.08.03 Implementation of the competition rules
      4.08.03.02 Procedure for the application of the competition rules by the Commission
        4.08.03.02.00 General
1 The legal order of the European Union
  1.01 Sources of EU law
    1.01.02 General principles of law
      1.01.02.05 Rights of the defence and procedural guarantees
4 Internal policy of the European Union
  4.08 Competition
    4.08.03 Implementation of the competition rules
      4.08.03.02 Procedure for the application of the competition rules by the Commission
        4.08.03.02.00 General
4 Internal policy of the European Union
  4.08 Competition
    4.08.03 Implementation of the competition rules
      4.08.03.02 Procedure for the application of the competition rules by the Commission
        4.08.03.02.00 General
4 Internal policy of the European Union
  4.08 Competition
    4.08.03 Implementation of the competition rules
      4.08.03.03 Fines imposed by the Commission
        4.08.03.03.07 Payment of the fine
          4.08.03.03.07.01 Joint and several liability for payment
            4.08.03.03.07.01.01 Joint and several liability of parent companies
              4.08.03.03.07.01.01.00 General
4 Internal policy of the European Union
  4.08 Competition
    4.08.03 Implementation of the competition rules
      4.08.03.02 Procedure for the application of the competition rules by the Commission
        4.08.03.02.00 General
4 Internal policy of the European Union
  4.08 Competition
    4.08.03 Implementation of the competition rules
      4.08.03.03 Fines imposed by the Commission
        4.08.03.03.08 Judicial review
          4.08.03.03.08.03 Review in the exercise of unlimited jurisdiction
            4.08.03.03.08.03.01 Scope
4 Internal policy of the European Union
  4.08 Competition
    4.08.03 Implementation of the competition rules
      4.08.03.03 Fines imposed by the Commission
        4.08.03.03.04 Fines for infringement of Articles 101 TFEU and 102 TFEU (Articles 81 EC and 82 EC)
          4.08.03.03.04.03 Adjustment to the basic amount
            4.08.03.03.04.03.01 Attenuating/mitigating circumstances according to the 1998 and 2006 Guidelines
              4.08.03.03.04.03.01.08 Other attenuating/mitigating circumstances
4 Internal policy of the European Union
  4.08 Competition
    4.08.03 Implementation of the competition rules
      4.08.03.03 Fines imposed by the Commission
        4.08.03.03.04 Fines for infringement of Articles 101 TFEU and 102 TFEU (Articles 81 EC and 82 EC)
          4.08.03.03.04.04 Leniency
            4.08.03.03.04.04.03 Partial immunity
              4.08.03.03.04.04.03.03 Added value of the evidence
                4.08.03.03.04.04.03.03.01 1996 Notice


Citations of case-law or legislation

References in grounds of judgment

Operative part

Information not available

Opinion

Information not available


Dates

Date of the lodging of the application initiating proceedings

  • 03/09/2010

Date of the Opinion

Information not available

Date of the hearing

Information not available

Date of delivery

27/06/2012


References

Publication in the Official Journal

Application: OJ C 301 from 06.11.2010, p.35

Judgment: OJ C 235 from 04.08.2012, p.13

Name of the parties

Bolloré v Commission

Notes on Academic Writings

  1. Idot, Laurence: Cartels, Europe 2011 Juin Comm. nº 6 p.26 (FR)
  2. Arhel, Pierre: Activité des juridictions de l'Union européenne en droit de la concurrence (juin 2012), Petites affiches. La Loi / Le Quotidien juridique 2012 nº 163-164-165 p.3-5 (FR)
  3. Cardonnel, Pascal: Prescription : Le Tribunal de l’UE précise le régime des causes d’interruption de la prescription (Bolloré), Concurrences : revue des droits de la concurrence 2012 nº 3 p.190-192 (FR)
  4. Idot, Laurence: Reprise d'une décision annulée en matière de cartels, Europe 2012 Août-Septembre Comm. nº 8-9 p.40-41 (FR)
  5. Robin, Catherine: Sanction de la différence de traitement des entreprises. Lorsqu’elle impute l’infraction aux sociétés mères, la Commission ne doit pas faire de différence entre les entreprises. Cette exigence suppose cependant que les sociétés mères soient dans des situations comparables, Revue Lamy de la Concurrence : droit, économie, régulation 2012 nº 33 p.24-25 (FR)
  6. Barbier De La Serre, Éric: Délai raisonnable: sur la (non-)prise en compte des procédures judiciaires, Revue Lamy de la Concurrence : droit, économie, régulation 2013 nº 34 p.69-70 (FR)



Procedural Analysis Information

Source of the question referred for a preliminary ruling

Information not available

Subject-matter

  • Competition
  • - Agreements, decisions and concerted practices

Provisions of national law referred to

Information not available

Provisions of international law referred to

Information not available

Procedure and result

  • Actions for annulment : dismissal on substantive grounds

Formation of the Court

deuxième chambre (Tribunal)

Judge-Rapporteur

Dehousse

Advocate General

Information not available

Language(s) of the Case

  • French

Language(s) of the Opinion

    Information not available