Judgment of the General Court (Sixth Chamber) of 15 July 2015

voestalpine AG and voestalpine Wire Rod Austria GmbH v European Commission

Competition — Agreements, decisions and concerted practices — European market for prestressing steel — Price fixing, market sharing and the exchange of commercially sensitive information — Single, complex and continuous infringement — Agency agreement — Imputability to the principal of the unlawful conduct of the agent — Lack of awareness by the principal of the unlawful conduct of the agent — Participant in a component of the infringement and awareness of the overall plan — 2006 Guidelines on the method of setting fines — Proportionality — Principle that penalties must fit the individual offender — Unlimited jurisdiction

Case T-418/10


Top of the page Documents in the Case
Document Date Name of the parties Subject-matter Curia EUR-Lex Autres Liens
Judgment (OJ)
28/08/2015 voestalpine and voestalpine Wire Rod Austria v Commission
Competition
- Agreements, decisions and concerted practices
  • Competition
  • - Agreements, decisions and concerted practices
View pdf documents
Judgment
ECLI:EU:T:2015:516		 15/07/2015 voestalpine and voestalpine Wire Rod Austria v Commission
Competition
- Agreements, decisions and concerted practices
  • Competition
  • - Agreements, decisions and concerted practices
EUR-Lex text EUR-Lex bilingual text
Judgment (Summary)
ECLI:EU:T:2015:516		 15/07/2015 voestalpine and voestalpine Wire Rod Austria v Commission
Competition
- Agreements, decisions and concerted practices
  • Competition
  • - Agreements, decisions and concerted practices
EUR-Lex text EUR-Lex bilingual text
Application (OJ)
06/11/2010 voestalpine and voestalpine Wire Rod Austria v Commission
Competition
- Agreements, decisions and concerted practices
  • Competition
  • - Agreements, decisions and concerted practices
View pdf documents
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) 4387 final of 30 June 2010 relating to a proceeding under Article 101 TFEU and Article 53 of the EEA Agreement (Case COMP/38344 – Prestressing steel) in respect of a cartel on the European prestressing steel market concerning price fixing, market sharing and the exchange of sensitive commercial information, and, in the alternative, cancellation or reduction of 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
      1.04.03.48 Presumption of innocence and right of defence
-
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
      4.08.01.03 Single and continuous infringements
        4.08.01.03.01 Single and continuous infringements: constituent elements and imputation
-
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
    4.08.01 Agreements, decisions and concerted practices
      4.08.01.02 Agreements between undertakings, concerted practices and decisions by associations of undertakings
        4.08.01.02.05 Divergent conduct, disclosure of the cartel and distancing from it
-
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
        4.08.01.02.04 Proof of the unlawful conduct and of its duration
-
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
        4.08.01.07.03 Imputation of the unlawful conduct of an employee or of a body, supplier or agent
          4.08.01.07.03.02 Imputation of the unlawful conduct of a supplier or agent
-
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
        4.08.01.07.03 Imputation of the unlawful conduct of an employee or of a body, supplier or agent
          4.08.01.07.03.02 Imputation of the unlawful conduct of a supplier or agent
-
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
        4.08.01.07.03 Imputation of the unlawful conduct of an employee or of a body, supplier or agent
          4.08.01.07.03.02 Imputation of the unlawful conduct of a supplier or agent
-
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
        4.08.01.07.03 Imputation of the unlawful conduct of an employee or of a body, supplier or agent
          4.08.01.07.03.02 Imputation of the unlawful conduct of a supplier or agent
-
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
    4.08.03 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
          4.08.03.03.05.02 Principle of proportionality
-
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
          4.08.03.03.05.07 Penalties must be appropriate to the offender and the offence
-
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


Citations of case-law or legislation

References in grounds of judgment

Operative part

Opinion

Information not available


Dates

Date of the lodging of the application initiating proceedings

  • 15/09/2010

Date of the Opinion

Information not available

Date of the hearing

Information not available

Date of delivery

15/07/2015


References

Publication in the Official Journal

Judgment: OJ C 302 from 14.09.2015, p.37

Application: OJ C 301 from 06.11.2010, p.59

Name of the parties

voestalpine and voestalpine Wire Rod Austria v Commission

Notes on Academic Writings

  1. Idot, Laurence: Cartel et participation à l'infraction unique via un agent, Europe 2015 Octobre Comm. nº 10 p.34-35 (FR)
  2. Stauber, Peter: Neues zum „echten“ Handelsvertreter, Neue Zeitschrift für Kartellrecht 2015 p.423-429 (DE)
  3. Idot, Laurence: Cartel et participation à l'infraction unique via un agent, Europe 2015 Octobre Comm. nº 10 p.34-35 (FR)
  4. Engelhoven, Philipp ; Müller, Bastian: Bußgeldhaftung des Geschäftsherrn wegen Kartellverstoß des Handelsvertreters, Entscheidungen zum Wirtschaftsrecht 2015 p.783-784 (DE)
  5. Kuritár, Dávid: Az ügynök versenyellenes magatartásáért való felelősség, Versenytükör 2015 2. szám p.90-95 (HU)
  6. Schnell, Sebastian: “Die Kehrseite der Medaille – Entpuppt sich das Handelsvertreterprivileg als Handelsvertreterrisiko?”, Betriebs-Berater 2016 p.1614 (DE)



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 : application granted
  • Actions for annulment : dismissal on substantive grounds
  • Appeal brought against a sanction : application granted

Formation of the Court

Sixième chambre (Tribunal)

Judge-Rapporteur

Frimodt Nielsen

Advocate General

Information not available

Language(s) of the Case

  • German

Language(s) of the Opinion

    Information not available