Judgment of the General Court (Seventh Chamber) of 29 November 2012

Groupement des cartes bancaires (CB) v European Commission

Competition — Decision of an association of undertakings — Market for issuing payment cards in France — Decision finding an infringement of Article 81 EC — Tariff measures applicable to ‘new entrants’ — Membership fees and so-called ‘regulation of customer function’ and ‘sleeper member fee’ mechanisms — Relevant market — Object of the measures at issue — Restriction of competition by object — Article 81(3) EC — Manifest errors of assessment — Principle of sound administration — Proportionality — Legal certainty

Case T‑491/07



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published in the electronic Reports of Cases (Court Reports - general - 'Information on unpublished decisions' section)

Subject-matter

Annulment of Commission Decision C (2007) 5060 final of 17 October 2007 relating to a proceeding under Article 81 EC (Case COMP/D1/38606 – GROUPEMENT DES CARTES BANCAIRES 'CB'), concerning tariff measures for membership of the Groupement applicable to 'new members' and the 'sleeper member fee' applicable to members of the Groupement which have not developed significant 'CB' business since becoming members.

Systematic classification scheme

1.
-
4 Internal policy of the European Union
  4.08 Competition
    4.08.01 Agreements, decisions and concerted practices
      4.08.01.04 null
        4.08.01.04.02 null
          4.08.01.04.02.00
-
4 Internal policy of the European Union
  4.08 Competition
    4.08.01 Agreements, decisions and concerted practices
      4.08.01.06 null
        4.08.01.06.01
-
4 Internal policy of the European Union
  4.08 Competition
    4.08.01 Agreements, decisions and concerted practices
      4.08.01.04 null
        4.08.01.04.02 null
          4.08.01.04.02.01 null
            4.08.01.04.02.01.00
-
4 Internal policy of the European Union
  4.08 Competition
    4.08.01 Agreements, decisions and concerted practices
      4.08.01.06 null
        4.08.01.06.01
-
4 Internal policy of the European Union
  4.08 Competition
    4.08.01 Agreements, decisions and concerted practices
      4.08.01.06 null
        4.08.01.06.00
-
2 Institutional framework of the European Union
  2.05 Legal acts of the European Union
    2.05.06 Statement of reasons
-
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
    4.08.01 Agreements, decisions and concerted practices
      4.08.01.01 Prohibition of agreements, decisions and concerted practices
-
4 Internal policy of the European Union
  4.08 Competition
    4.08.01 Agreements, decisions and concerted practices
      4.08.01.04 null
        4.08.01.04.03 null
          4.08.01.04.03.00
-
4 Internal policy of the European Union
  4.08 Competition
    4.08.01 Agreements, decisions and concerted practices
      4.08.01.04 null
        4.08.01.04.00
-
4 Internal policy of the European Union
  4.08 Competition
    4.08.01 Agreements, decisions and concerted practices
      4.08.01.04 null
        4.08.01.04.02 null
          4.08.01.04.02.01 null
            4.08.01.04.02.01.02
-
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
-
1 The legal order of the European Union
  1.01 Sources of EU law
    1.01.02 General principles of law
      1.01.02.06 Principle of proportionality
-
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
        4.08.03.02.02 Termination of infringements: powers of the Commission


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

  • 27/12/2007

Date of the Opinion

Information not available

Date of the hearing

Information not available

Date of delivery

29/11/2012


References

Publication in the Official Journal

Application: OJ C 64 from 08.03.2008, p.46

Judgment: OJ C 26 from 26.01.2013, p.39

Name of the parties

CB v Commission

Notes on Academic Writings

  1. Idot, Laurence: Secteur bancaire, concurrence intrasystème, et restriction par objet, Europe 2013 Janvier Comm. nº 1 p.37-38 (FR)
  2. Stone, Paul: Groupement des Cartes Bancaires: The General Court Reinforces the Enforcement of Competition Policy in the Financial Sector, Journal of European Competition Law & Practice 2013 Vol. 4 nº 2 p.140-141 (EN)



Procedural Analysis Information

Source of the question referred for a preliminary ruling

Information not available

Subject-matter

  • Competition

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

septième chambre (Tribunal)

Judge-Rapporteur

Wiszniewska-Białecka

Advocate General

Information not available

Language(s) of the Case

  • French

Language(s) of the Opinion

    Information not available