Judgment of the General Court (Fourth Chamber) of 16 September 2013

Keramag Keramische Werke AG and Others v European Commission

Competition — Agreements, decisions and concerted practices — Bathroom fittings and fixtures markets of Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands and Austria — Decision finding an infringement of Article 101 TFEU and Article 53 of the EEA Agreement — Coordination of price increases and exchange of sensitive business information — Duration of the infringement — Rights of the defence — Access to the file — Attributability of unlawful conduct

Joined Cases T‑379/10 and T‑381/10



Top of the page Documents in the Case
Document Date Name of the parties Subject-matter Curia EUR-Lex Autres Liens
Judgment (OJ)
18/10/2013 Keramag Keramische Werke and Others v Commission
Judgment
ECLI:EU:T:2013:457
16/09/2013 Keramag Keramische Werke and Others v Commission
Judgment (Information)
ECLI:EU:T:2013:457
16/09/2013 Keramag Keramische Werke and Others v Commission
Application (OJ)
06/11/2010 Keramag Keramische Werke and Others 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published in the electronic Reports of Cases (Court Reports - general - 'Information on unpublished decisions' section)

Subject-matter

Annulment of Commission Decision C (2010) 4185 final of 23 June 2010 relating to a proceeding under Article 101 TFEU and Article 53 of the EEA Agreement (Case COMP/39092 - Bathroom fittings & fixtures) concerning a cartel on the Belgian, German, French, Italian, Netherlands and Austrian markets for bathroom fittings and fixtures, relating to coordination of sales prices and the exchange of sensitive business information and, in the alternative, the reduction of the fine imposed on the applicants.

Systematic classification scheme

1.
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
            4.08.03.03.08.03.02 Power to vary the amount of the fine
              4.08.03.03.08.03.02.00 General
3 Legal proceedings
  3.08 Procedural rules
    3.08.06 Measures of inquiry and measures of organisation of procedure
3 Legal proceedings
  3.08 Procedural rules
    3.08.04 Subject-matter, form of order sought and pleas in law
      3.08.04.01 Formal requirements
3 Legal proceedings
  3.02 Actions for annulment
    3.02.03 Applications by natural or legal persons
      3.02.03.01 Interest in bringing proceedings
4 Internal policy of the European Union
  4.08 Competition
    4.08.01 Agreements, decisions and concerted practices
      4.08.01.04 Adverse effect on competition
        4.08.01.04.02 Restrictions by object or by effect
          4.08.01.04.02.01 Restrictions by object
            4.08.01.04.02.01.02 Restrictions having an anticompetitive object
4 Internal policy of the European Union
  4.08 Competition
    4.08.01 Agreements, decisions and concerted practices
      4.08.01.02 Agreements between undertakings, concerted practices and decisions by associations of undertakings
        4.08.01.02.02 Concerted practices
4 Internal policy of the European Union
  4.08 Competition
    4.08.01 Agreements, decisions and concerted practices
      4.08.01.03 Single and continuous infringements
        4.08.01.03.01 Single and continuous infringements: constituent elements and imputation
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
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
        4.08.03.02.06 Hearing of persons concerned and of third parties / Access to the file
3 Legal proceedings
  3.08 Procedural rules
    3.08.04 Subject-matter, form of order sought and pleas in law
      3.08.04.03 New pleas in law
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
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
4 Internal policy of the European Union
  4.08 Competition
    4.08.01 Agreements, decisions and concerted practices
      4.08.01.07 Imputation of the unlawful conduct
        4.08.01.07.02 Imputation of the unlawful conduct of a subsidiary to its parent company
          4.08.01.07.02.03 Presumption of actual exercise of decisive influence
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
              4.08.03.03.04.03.01.05 Non-implementation of the offending agreements
                4.08.03.03.04.03.01.05.02 Non-implementation in practice of the offending agreements
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)
          4.08.03.03.04.02 Basic amount
            4.08.03.03.04.02.01 Basic amount according to the 2006 Guidelines
              4.08.03.03.04.02.01.00 General


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

  • 08/09/2010

Date of the Opinion

Information not available

Date of the hearing

Information not available

Date of delivery

16/09/2013


References

Publication in the Official Journal

Application: OJ C 301 from 06.11.2010, p.40

Judgment: OJ C 325 from 09.11.2013, p.26

Name of the parties

Keramag Keramische Werke and Others v Commission

Notes on Academic Writings

  1. Idot, Laurence: Cartels et responsabilité des sociétés mères. La Cour confirme sa jurisprudence sur l'imputabilité des comportements des filiales aux sociétés mères , Europe 2013 Novembre Comm. nº 11 p.36-38 (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
  • Actions for annulment : application granted
  • Appeal brought against a sanction : application granted
  • Appeal brought against a sanction : dismissal on substantive grounds

Formation of the Court

Quatrième chambre (Tribunal)

Judge-Rapporteur

Jürimäe

Advocate General

Information not available

Language(s) of the Case

  • English

Language(s) of the Opinion

    Information not available