JUDGMENT OF THE COURT OF FIRST INSTANCE (First Chamber)
19 May 1999 (1)
(Competition Article 81(1) EC (ex-Article 85(1)) Exclusive distribution
agreement Parallel imports)
In Case T-176/95,
Accinauto SA, a company incorporated under Belgian law, established in Brussels,
represented by Helmut Glassen, Rechtsanwalt, Leimen, with an address for service
in Luxembourg at the Chambers of Loesch and Wolters, 11 Rue Goethe,
v
Commission of the European Communities represented initially by Bernd
Langeheine and subsequently by Wouter Wils, both of its Legal Service, acting as
agents, assisted by Heinz-Joachim Freund, Rechtsanwalt, Brussels, with an address
for service in Luxembourg at the office of Carlos Gómez de la Cruz, of its Legal
Service, Wagner Centre, Kirchberg,
APPLICATION for the annulment of Commission Decision 95/477/EC of 12 July
1995 relating to a proceeding pursuant to Article 85 of the EC Treaty (Case
IV/33.802 BASF Lacke+Farben AG, and Accinauto SA) (OJ 1995 L 272, p. 16),
THE COURT OF FIRST INSTANCE
OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES (First Chamber),
composed of: B. Vesterdorf, President, R.M. Moura Ramos and P. Mengozzi,
Judges,
Registrar: J. Palacio González, Administrator,
having regard to the written procedure and further to the hearing on 13 January
1998 and 2 April 1998,
gives the following
Judgment
Background
Parties and products concerned
- 1.
- Accinauto SA ('Accinauto or 'the applicant) is a Belgian company, established
in Brussels. Since 1937, it has distributed the BASF group's motor vehicle
refinishing paints in Belgium and Luxembourg. Since 1974, it has been the
exclusive distributor of Glasurit products for the same contract territory. Its
turnover for the tax year 1991 was BEF 738 000 000, some 85% of which was
accounted for by BASF products.
- 2.
- BASF Coatings AG, formerly called 'BASF Lacke und Farben AG ('BASF), is
a German company established in Münster-Hiltrup (Germany) which manufactures,
amongst other things, motor vehicle refinishing paints under the trade name
Glasurit. Its turnover for 1991 was DEM 1 668 000 000, of which DEM
314 000 000 was accounted for by worldwide sales of motor vehicle refinishing
paints and DEM 243 000 000 by sales of those products within the Community.
- 3.
- Glasurit products are distributed by:
subsidiaries of the BASF group in the Netherlands, Italy, France, Spain, the
United Kingdom, Ireland, Austria, Sweden and Finland;
independent distributors bound by exclusive distribution agreements in
Belgium, Luxembourg, Denmark and Portugal;
five regional exclusive distributors in Germany;
an independent non-exclusive distributor in Greece.
- 4.
- In the United Kingdom and Ireland, motor vehicle refinishing paints of the BASF
group are distributed by BASF Coating and Inks Ltd ('BASF C & I), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the BASF group.
- 5.
- Refinishing paints are distinct from paints for new vehicles, despite having the same
composition and being manufactured on the same production lines. Paints for new
vehicles are intended for vehicle manufacturers, whilst refinishing paints are
intended for repair workshops. For that reason, refinishing paints are distributed
in different packaging and quantities from products used for new vehicles.
- 6.
- During the period between 1985 and 1992, retail prices for vehicle refinishing
paints, including Glasurit products, were higher on average in the United Kingdom
than in Belgium.
Administrative procedure
- 7.
- On 28 January 1991, Ilkeston Motor Factories Ltd ('IMF) and Calbrook Cars Ltd,
two United Kingdom-based distributors of vehicle refinishing paints, lodged a
complaint with the Commission alleging that BASF and Accinauto had infringed
Community competition rules.
- 8.
- The complainants stated that they had obtained their supplies of Glasurit products
IMF directly and Calbrook Cars Ltd through the intermediary of IMF from
Accinauto since 1986. During the summer of 1990, Accinauto had stopped
supplying them, at the instigation of BASF. Thus BASF and Accinauto colluded
to prevent parallel imports of Glasurit products into the United Kingdom.
- 9.
- On 26 June 1991, the Commission carried out investigations at the commercial
premises of BASF, BASF C & I, Accinauto and Technipaint, a company created
in 1982 by the management of Accinauto and having the same registered office as
the latter.
- 10.
- It then obtained written information from the various parties pursuant to Article
11 of Council Regulation No 17 of 6 February 1962: First Regulation implementing
Articles 85 and 86 of the Treaty (OJ, English Special Edition 1959-1962, p. 87;
'Regulation No 17).
- 11.
- On 12 May 1993, the Commission sent statements of objections to BASF and
Accinauto.
- 12.
- On 23 September 1993, a hearing was held in the case.
- 13.
- After consulting the Advisory Committee on Restrictive Practices and Dominant
Positions, the Commission adopted Decision 95/477/EC of 12 July 1995 relating to
a proceeding pursuant to Article 85 of the EC Treaty (Case IV/33.802 BASF
Lacke+Farben AG, and Accinauto SA) (OJ 1995 L 272, p. 16; 'the contested
decision). That decision was notified to the applicant on 24 July 1995.
Content of the contested decision
- 14.
- In the operative part of the contested decision, the Commission found that the
agreement between BASF and Accinauto, under which Accinauto was required,
from 8 October 1982 to 31 December 1991, to pass on to BASF any customer
enquiries coming from outside the contract territory, infringed Article 81(1) EC (ex-Article 85(1)). For having participated in that infringement, the Commission fined
BASF ECU 2 700 000 and Accinauto ECU 10 000.
- 15.
- In the recitals in the preamble to its decision, the Commission states that, under
the first subparagraph of Article 2(2) of the exclusive distribution agreement
concluded in June/October 1982 between BASF and Accinauto (the '1982
agreement), with retroactive effect as from 1 January 1981, Accinauto undertook
to 'pass on to BASF any customer enquiries coming from outside the contract
territory. The Commission considers that the phrase 'pass on customer enquiries
must be understood to mean that the party to whom the enquiries are 'passed on
takes the place of the party doing the 'passing on. As a result, Accinauto was
prohibited from deciding independently whether to supply customers based outside
Belgium or Luxembourg. It was BASF which decided whether and on what
conditions Accinauto, BASF or a third party might respond to those orders.
- 16.
- The Commission maintains that its interpretation of Article 2 of the agreement is
confirmed by the manner in which the parties consistently applied it.
- 17.
- When, in March 1986, IMF first contacted Accinauto, the latter obtained 'special
authorisation to commence supplies. BASF granted that authorisation to
Accinauto because it wished to 'channel and normalise parallel exports of Glasurit
products to the United Kingdom. That was in line with measures taken by BASF
against parallel imports in 1985 and 1986. For a nine-month period, it marked
products sold by distributors in Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany in order to
identify the channels through which Glasurit products arrived on the British market.
- 18.
- According to the Commission, BASF asked Accinauto to stop supplies to IMF and
other British customers in June 1989. Thus the decision to stop parallel exports to
the United Kingdom, which had initially been authorised, was taken by BASF.
- 19.
- The Commission found, however, that Accinauto did not comply with the
prohibition imposed on it by BASF. As from July 1989, it invoiced sales to IMF
through Technipaint, thereby continuing its supplies to the United Kingdom without
BASF's knowledge.
- 20.
- At the end of May 1990, Accinauto ceased supplies to IMF, following a tightening
of supervision by BASF. According to information supplied by BASF C & I, the
problem of parallel imports was getting worse, and BASF had evidence of a
Belgian source of supply.
- 21.
- As from that date, Accinauto complied unreservedly with the 1982 agreement.
According to the Commission, the infringement of the competition rules did not
end until 1 January 1992, when a new distribution agreement, signed by the parties
on 14 December 1992 and 22 January 1993, entered into force with retroactive
effect. That agreement no longer contains the contested clause requiring Accinauto
to pass on to BASF any customer enquiries not originating in its contract territory.
- 22.
- The Commission considers that Article 2(2) of the 1982 agreement had the object
and effect of restricting competition between Accinauto and other suppliers of
Glasurit motor vehicle refinishing paints, and in particular between Accinauto and
BASF C & I. That agreement was liable to affect trade between Member States
by restricting parallel exports of Glasurit products from Belgium to the United
Kingdom.
- 23.
- The Commission decided to impose fines on BASF and Accinauto, stating that the
ban on passive sales conflicted with the objective of establishing a common market
and constituted a particularly serious infringement of Community law, the latter
being very clear on this point in terms both of the products and the market
concerned. BASF and Accinauto had, moreover, committed the infringement
intentionally.
Procedure
- 24.
- The present action was commenced by an application lodged at the Registry of the
Court of First Instance on 25 September 1995.
- 25.
- In its application, the applicant requested the Court to order, as a measure of
organisation of procedure, that complete minutes, in French, of the hearing of 23
September 1993 be communicated to it.
- 26.
- The case, which was originally assigned to the First Chamber, Extended
Composition, was referred to the First Chamber by decision of the Court of First
Instance of 4 December 1997, adopted pursuant to Articles 14 and 51 of the Rules
of Procedure.
- 27.
- On hearing the report of the Judge-Rapporteur, the Court of First Instance (First
Chamber) decided that there was no need to order the measure of organisation of
procedure proposed by the applicant. It also decided to open the oral procedure
without any other measures of organisation or preliminary inquiry.
- 28.
- The parties presented oral argument and replied to the oral questions of the Court
at the hearing which took place on 13 January 1998.
- 29.
- Following the assumption of duties by a new Member of the Court, the
composition of the First Chamber was altered by a decision of the Court of First
Instance of 10 March 1998.
- 30.
- Having regard to Article 33(2) of the Rules of Procedure, the Court of First
Instance (First Chamber), in its new composition, ordered the reopening of the oral
procedure by order of 13 March 1998, in accordance with Article 62 of the Rules
of Procedure.
- 31.
- The parties did not appear at the hearing on 2 April 1998. Upon a proposal of the
applicant, and after hearing the defendant, the Court authorised the parties to refer
to their oral arguments of 13 January 1998, without a fresh hearing, and to lodge
written versions of those arguments, which were registered at the Court Registry
on 14 April 1998.
Forms of order sought
- 32.
- The applicant claims that the Court should:
annul the contested decision in so far as it concerns the applicant;
in the alternative, withdraw or reduce the fine imposed on the applicant by
Article 2 of that decision;
order the Commission to pay the costs;
order the Commission to repay to the applicant, in addition to the fine,
interest at the same rate (9.5%) as that fixed by the Commission in the
second subparagraph of Article 2(2) of the contested decision.
- 33.
- The Commission contends that the Court should:
dismiss the action;
order the applicant to pay the costs.
The grounds pleaded for annulment of the contested decision
- 34.
- In support of its action, the applicant puts forward two pleas in law as grounds for
annulment. The first alleges infringement of essential procedural requirements, inthat the rights of the defence were not respected. The second alleges infringement
of Article 81(1) EC, in that the Commission wrongly concluded that the 1982
agreement was in breach of that provision.
The plea alleging infringement of essential procedural requirements
- 35.
- The applicant argues that, by failing to supply it with a full French version of the
minutes of the hearing of 23 September 1993, the Commission infringed Article 3
of Council Regulation No 1 of 15 April 1958 determining the languages to be used
by the European Economic Community (OJ, English Special Edition 1952-1958, p.
59). That article provides that '[D]ocuments which an institution of the
Community sends to a Member State or to a person subject to the jurisdiction of
a Member State shall be drafted in the language of such State.
- 36.
- The applicant submits that the minutes of a hearing constitute a procedural
document in the sense contemplated by Article 19(1) of Regulation No 17 and
Article 2(1) of Commission Regulation No 99/63/EEC of 25 July 1963 on the
hearings provided for in Article 19(1) and (2) of Council Regulation No 17 (OJ,
English Special Edition 1963-1964, p. 47). It maintains that, as an undertaking
concerned, it is entitled to communication of the minutes in the language of the
Member State to whose jurisdiction it is subject (Case 41/69 ACF Chemiefarma v
Commission [1970] ECR 661, paragraphs 48 and 49).
- 37.
- The fact that it had nothing in writing which contained a translation of the
statements of other participants at the hearing who spoke in German or English,
particularly those made by the representatives of BASF, the complainant
undertakings and the Member States, prevented it from properly preparing its
defence in the administrative procedure. Even though the Commission provided
simultaneous interpretation of those statements during the hearing, translation of
the whole of the minutes into French was essential for an understanding of the
objections raised against the applicant, and in particular to enable it to clarify the
facts referred to on that occasion with its employees who were not present at the
hearing. Its rights of defence were therefore infringed.
- 38.
- The Commission contends, on the contrary, that the minutes of the hearing do not
constitute a 'document within the meaning of Article 3 of Council Regulation No
1 of 15 April 1958. In cases concerning the application of the competition rules,
that provision has been applied solely to statements of objections and decisions
intervening during the administrative procedure. The Commission argues that the
minutes serve to record the remarks of the representatives of the various parties,
and are sent to them solely so that they may verify that their own statements have
been correctly recorded (Case T-77/92 Parker Pen v Commission [1994] ECR II-549,
paragraphs 72 to 75). The minutes are not, it submits, a document drawn up for
the benefit of the undertakings participating in the procedure.
Findings of the Court
- 39.
- Under Article 9(4) of Regulation No 99/63, 'the essential content of the statements
made by each person heard shall be recorded in minutes which shall be read and
approved by him.
- 40.
- It is common ground in this case that the applicant was able effectively to take note
of the essential content of its own statements at the hearing of 23 September 1993,
which were recorded in the minutes in French, and that it is not alleging that the
minutes contained substantial errors or omissions as far as it was concerned.
- 41.
- Nor does the applicant deny that it had the opportunity to follow, with the aid of
simultaneous interpretation, the statements of the other persons heard.
- 42.
- The applicant cannot rely on the absence of translation of those parts of the
minutes which were drafted in a language other than that of its own Member State
in order to establish an infringement of its rights of defence. In this case, the
absence of translation is not liable to have harmful consequences capable of
vitiating the administrative procedure (Chemiefarma, paragraph 52, and Parker Pen,
paragraph 74).
- 43.
- Any difficulties which the applicant might have had in preparing its defence cannot
alter that finding, since it was represented at the hearing and the Commission
supplied it with documentation containing the other participants' statements in their
original language.
- 44.
- The plea alleging infringement of essential procedural requirements must therefore
be dismissed.
The plea alleging infringement of Article 81(1) EC, in that the Commission wrongly
concluded that the 1982 agreement infringed that provision
- 45.
- The applicant essentially denies that the 1982 agreement constituted an agreement
contrary to Article 81(1) EC, designed to prevent parallel imports of Glasurit
products into the United Kingdom. The Commission committed errors of
assessment, first, in its interpretation of Article 2(2) of that agreement; secondly,
in its conclusion that the parties' implementation of the agreement confirmed its
interpretation thereof; thirdly, in its analysis of the effects of that agreement on
competition and on trade between Member States; fourthly, as regards the date on
which the alleged infringement of the competition rules ceased; and, fifthly, in its
determination of the amount of the fine.
First part: interpretation of Article 2(2) of the 1982 agreement
Arguments of the parties
- 46.
- The applicant maintains that the expression 'pass on customer enquiries in Article
2(2) of the 1982 agreement refers solely to the passing on of information allowing
BASF the better to plan its distribution organisation and commercial strategy, and
fulfil its obligation to supply the market on an equitable basis in the event of
difficulties in supply.
- 47.
- It maintains that 'pass on means 'inform in both Article 2(1) and Article 2(2).
The article contained no obligation to pass on orders, given that it follows implicitly
from the right of exclusive distribution in the contract territory conferred on the
applicant under Article 1. Moreover, Article 2 concerned only 'enquiries from
customers, the sole object of which was to obtain information on the possibilities
and conditions of delivery. Thus it did not apply to customers' orders.
- 48.
- In the applicant's submission, there is nothing in Article 2(2) of the agreement
which requires, for sales outside its contract territory, the consent of BASF.
- 49.
- Under Article 4(1) and (2) of the 1982 agreement, Accinauto undertook to inform
BASF regularly as to the general market situation and to draw up an annual sales
report. However, since Article 4 applied only to information concerning business
in the contract territory, information concerning enquiries addressed to it from
outside that territory were covered only by Article 2(2) of the agreement. The
applicant states that information on sales outside the contract territory were also
of great interest to it, particularly in order to enable BASF to keep it informed of
quality, training or admission requirements in export countries.
- 50.
- The applicant further argues that the history of the agreement should be taken into
account in order to understand the attention which the parties gave to the question
of its compatibility with Community competition rules. The former exclusive sales
contract concluded between Accinauto and the legal predecessor of BASF was
notified to the Commission in 1969. Following objections raised by the
Commission, the parties abandoned in 1970 a clause which stipulated that
Accinauto was not authorised to export goods forming the subject-matter of the
contract outside the contract territory.
- 51.
- Bearing that precedent in mind, at the time of the negotiations which led to the
1982 agreement, the applicant received an assurance from the head of BASF's legal
department that the new Article 2(2) complied with Community law. Since the
parties had no doubts as to the lawfulness of that clause, they did not consider it
necessary to notify the 1982 agreement to the Commission.
- 52.
- The Commission contends that the reasons put forward by the applicant to justify
its interpretation of the passing-on obligation in Article 2(2) of the agreement are
unconvincing. It reaffirms that that clause contains a disguised prohibition of
passive export sales without prior authorisation, and not a simple obligation to pass
on information.
Findings of the Court
- 53.
- Article 2 of the 1982 agreement appears under the heading 'Exclusive distribution
right and ban on competition. The first subparagraph of Article 2(2) provides:
'The authorised dealer undertakes to pass on to [BASF] any customer enquiries
coming from outside the contract territory and to refrain, outside the contract
territory, from seeking customers or maintaining branches or supply depots for the
distribution of the contract products.
- 54.
- It is common ground between the parties that the final part of the contractual
clause in question contains a prohibition on active sales measures by the dealer
outside the contract territory, a prohibition which complies with Community
competition law. The dispute as to the interpretation of that clause thus concerns
only the part dealing with passive sales to customers based outside the territory.
- 55.
- In order to determine whether the parties to the 1982 agreement agreed upon a
restriction on the authorised dealer's freedom to carry out passive sales of the
products covered by the exclusive distribution contract to customers based in other
Member States and whether, in consequence, they concluded an agreement
prohibited by Article 81(1) EC, the Court must take a number of factors into
account. Apart from examination of the wording of Article 2(2) and of the scope
of the other clauses in the contract which relate to the authorised dealer's
obligation under that clause, those factors include the factual and legal
circumstances surrounding the conclusion and implementation of that agreement
which enable its purpose to be elucidated.
- 56.
- The wording of Article 2(2) clearly indicates that the parties prescribed a particular
system for dealing with customer enquiries coming from outside the contract
territory. It does not, however, specify the purpose for which those enquiries were
to be passed on to the manufacturer or the consequences of this for the authorised
dealer's freedom to carry out the passive sales solicited, especially where they came
from customers based in other Member States.
- 57.
- The Court would observe that for the purposes of construing the wording of that
clause, it is immaterial that the passing-on obligation applies to enquiries, which
seek merely to determine whether and on what terms Accinauto could supply, and
not to orders placed by customers outside the contract territory. As the
Commission has pointed out, if a negative response were given to an enquiry
passed on in pursuance of the clause, there would be no point in the customer
placing an order with the applicant. The fact that the authorised dealer is obliged
to pass on enquiries which precede orders does not support the conclusion that he
retains his freedom of decision in full and is not subject to any restriction as regards
satisfying the orders.
- 58.
- As regards the insertion of Article 2(2) into the agreement and the determination
of its purpose in relation to that of other clauses providing for exchanges of
information between the parties, it is necessary, first, to reject the applicant's
argument that the passing-on obligations in Article 2(1) and (2) are of the same
kind as the obligations to provide information contained in Article 4 of the
agreement. Although under Article 4(1) and (2) Accinauto undertakes to inform
BASF regularly on sales and the market situation in the contract territory, that
information is of a general nature and detailed particulars of it are to be given only
by means of summary reports, drawn up at the end of each calendar year. By
contrast, Article 2(1) and (2) provide that the authorised dealer or the
manufacturer are to be informed immediately of the receipt of enquiries according
to whether they emanate, respectively, from customers based in the contract
territory or from those based outside it. The Court therefore finds that the passing-on obligations in Article 2, by providing for reciprocal notification of specific supply
enquiries, are different in kind from the obligations to provide information laid
down by Article 4.
- 59.
- Secondly, in Article 2(1), as worded, BASF's obligation to pass on to the authorised
dealer all enquiries and all information that might promote the sale of the products
in the contract territory comes immediately after a ban on his using other
distribution channels in that territory. The passing-on obligation laid down in that
clause, like the ban on using other distribution channels, thus belongs to the very
substance of the exclusive right granted to Accinauto inasmuch as it is necessary for
the effective exercise of that right. It follows that the interpretation contended for
by the applicant, whereby the term 'pass on simply means 'inform the other
party of the existence of the supply enquiries, both in Article 2(1) and Article 2(2),
cannot be accepted.
- 60.
- Since the passing-on obligation imposed on the authorised dealer by Article 2(2)
of the agreement covers only enquiries coming from outside the contract territory,
it cannot be that the sole purpose of that clause is to enable the manufacturer to
achieve better planing of its distribution organisation and its commercial strategy.
The Commission has rightly pointed out that, if BASF wished to be informed as to
the quantity and quality of the products concerned by the enquiries addressed to
the applicant, the passing-on obligation should have applied equally to enquiriesfrom customers based in the contract territory. Such information could, moreover,
have been supplied to BASF on a regular basis in a general manner or in the
context of summary reports, as envisaged in Article 4 of the agreement, and not as
a preliminary to each supply. Nor was it necessary for BASF to have advance
notice of the destination of the goods ordered from the applicant in order to be in
a position to allocate limited supply quantities uniformly between its authorised
dealers. Its interest in obtaining information on export sales, particularly for the
purpose of calculating the advertising subsidies which it granted to each dealer,
could also have been satisfied by an obligation to draw up summary reports
concerning those sales. Moreover, the applicant's interest in obtaining information
on conditions in the markets for which the products were destined, even if that
interest were relevant, could be satisfied by means other than prior notification of
exports to the manufacturer.
- 61.
- The Court therefore finds that the applicant's explanations concerning the purpose
of the passing-on obligation in Article 2(2) of the 1982 agreement are not such as
to invalidate the Commission's contention that that clause contains a disguised
prohibition on passive export sales without prior authorisation.
- 62.
- Moreover, the history of the agreement offers an explanation for the ambiguous
terms in which the parties to the 1982 agreement drafted the clause complained of
and for the disguised nature of the export ban which it contains. The parties were
sufficiently aware, through their earlier experience, of the fact that an express
restriction on the authorised dealer's freedom to carry out passive sales outside the
contract territory is contrary to Community competition law. Nevertheless, they
clearly expressed their intention to make enquiries from outside the contract
territory subject to a specific system of recording which enabled the manufacturer
to influence the dealer's conduct with respect to exports, should these prove to be
necessary.
- 63.
- In those circumstances, it needs to be considered whether, as the Commission
maintains, its interpretation of Article 2(2) of the 1982 agreement is further
confirmed by the fact that the parties implemented an agreement with a view to
preventing parallel imports of Glasurit products into the United Kingdom.
Second part: implementation of the agreement
Arguments of the parties
- 64.
- In the applicant's submission, the implementation of the agreement at issue shows
that the Commission misconstrued the expression 'pass on. It contends that the
facts corroborate its own interpretation of that agreement.
- 65.
- When, in March 1986, IMF first made an enquiry of Accinauto, that company's
managing director, Mr Dudouet, contacted BASF merely in order to obtain
information as to the market situation and the availability of the products
requested. Mr Dudouet rarely carried out exports and had deduced that the orders
for the British market promised to be for large quantities. Since the products
requested by IMF were products easily sold and, as was customary in the car repair
market, the quantities had to be delivered at short notice, any delays in delivery
could have caused serious problems to customers. Thus, contrary to what the
Commission maintains, the applicant did not seek authorisation from BASF either
to make deliveries to IMF or to fix the conditions applicable to those sales.
- 66.
- The applicant delivered the desired quantities to IMF and business relations
between the two companies subsequently developed successfully. Until 1990,
orders from IMF increased consistently, as did the discounts granted to it by the
applicant.
- 67.
- As from June 1989, the sales by the applicant to IMF were invoiced in the name
of Technipaint solely in order to separate the exports from the Belgian operations.
That separation became possible in 1989, after the entry into service of a new
computer system. It enabled the applicant to increase the transparency of its
operations and to limit the payment of bonuses due to its collaborators. BASF was
also keen on the separate registration of operations, since it contributed to the
advertising costs concerning sales in the contract territory.
- 68.
- Contrary to what is stated in points 75 and 76 of the preamble to the contested
decision, the applicant did not cease to supply IMF at the end of May 1990 but
only in December 1990. The first order which reached the applicant since the
delivery at the end of May 1990 was dated 4 December 1990. IMF did not place
any new orders between those two dates, despite the reference to a future order
in the letter from IMF's lawyers to the applicant of 3 July 1990.
- 69.
- The applicant decided to cease supplying IMF independently because of their
company's unreliability and the threatening attitude which it had adopted. Since
August 1989, IMF had no longer paid invoices on time. In a conversation with the
applicant on 5 June 1990, IMF had insisted on obtaining extra supplies, even
though the availability of a large number of Glasurit products was affected by
bottlenecks. It had threatened to lodge a complaint against the applicant for
infringement of Community competition rules and to establish a subsidiary in
Belgium for the purpose of carrying out direct exports to the United Kingdom.
- 70.
- The applicant first informed BASF by letter of 7 February 1991, with which it
enclosed a copy of the letter it had sent to IMF on 19 December 1990, that it had
finally broken off business relations with IMF.
- 71.
- The applicant accuses the Commission of having failed to take account of the
supply difficulties which it had mentioned, and of which, it maintains, it produced
convincing evidence during the administrative procedure. For various reasons,
there were major bottlenecks in BASF's supply capacities during the period in
question, and the main product ranges, especially the most used basic colours, were
affected.
- 72.
- BASF had established an information network between itself and its distributors,
including the applicant, in order to ensure regular supply to the European market
in a time of shortage. In order to fulfil its delivery obligations towards customers
for Glasurit products, it wished to be aware of product flows and the sales situation
in the various national markets.
- 73.
- The applicant also maintains that it was under a duty to supply customers in its
contract territory as best it could. Having been contacted by IMF, it was quite
normal that it should first examine delivery possibilities with BASF in order to
avoid committing a breach of its contractual obligations. It was not allowed to use
slender resources to accept new orders or make deliveries outside its territory.
- 74.
- The lawfulness of the conduct it pursued finds recognition, it submits, in the recitals
in the preamble to Commission Regulation (EEC) No 1983/83 of 22 June 1983 on
the application of Article 85(3) of the Treaty to categories of exclusive distribution
agreements (OJ 1983 L 173, p. 1), just as it had done so in Commission Regulation
No 67/67/EEC of 22 March 1967 on the application of Article 85(3) of the Treaty
to certain categories of exclusive dealing agreements (OJ, English Special Edition
1967, p. 10). The parties to an exclusive distribution agreement may thus include
clauses allowing the manufacturer to verify whether the main purpose of such an
agreement, namely to operate intensively in the contract territory, is being
respected by the distributor.
- 75.
- Accinauto further observes that, according to the statements of the complainant
reproduced in point 22 of the preamble to the contested decision, BASF gave its
consent in March 1986 to Accinauto supplying IMF, provided that the discount was
no more than 19% of Accinauto's published trade price. Those statements are
contradicted by the fact that, at the time, IMF accepted an 8% discount and that
during the whole of 1986 no discount of 19% was granted to it by Accinauto. It
would be contrary to all business experience for IMF to have contented itself with
an 8% discount if M. Dudouet had disclosed the prospect of BASF's agreeing to
the grant of a discount of up to 19% of the published trade price. In Accinauto's
submission, that is a convincing indication that the complainant was equally
inaccurate in relaying the remainder of the telephone conversation between
Accinauto and BASF.
- 76.
- It is also clear from an internal note signed by Mr Augustin dated 5 June 1990 that
BASF was informed of all supplies made by Accinauto to IMF in 1989. Accinauto
therefore challenges the Commission's assumption that it intended to conceal its
exports to the United Kingdom by invoicing in the name of Technipaint.
- 77.
- The Commission reaffirms its conclusion that the parties' implementation of the
agreement, especially after March 1986, confirms that Article 2(2) thereof did in
fact reserve for the manufacturer a right to approve passive sales. It submits that
the applicant's explanations are unconvincing, and not capable of invalidating the
legal assessment of the conduct noted in the contested decision.
- 78.
- The Commission submits that the documents before the Court contradict the
version of the facts presented by the applicant. The internal note of 5 June 1990,
mentioned in points 43 and 52 of the preamble to the contested decision, showed
that BASF had granted Mr Dudouet 'special authorisation to supply IMF,
following the first order which the latter placed with Accinauto in March 1986.
Other documents show that the halting of supplies to IMF did indeed take place
at the instigation of BASF, and that, as from June 1989, the applicant invoiced
those sales through the intermediary of Technipaint in order to conceal them.
Finally, following a tightening in control by BASF, Accinauto terminated the
exports in May 1990.
- 79.
- According to the Commission, the supply difficulties pleaded by the applicant
cannot explain the conduct of the parties to the agreement, given that the shortage
was confined to the period between 1988 and the end of 1990. Moreover, the
correspondence exchanged between BASF and its dealers concerning parallel
imports to the United Kingdom show no trace of any concern that supply to other
national markets might be insufficient. The withdrawal of the special authorisation
granted to the applicant is to be explained not by difficulties in supply experienced
by BASF but by the fact that parallel imports were damaging to BASF C & I and
resulted in a reduction in prices charged in the United Kingdom.
- 80.
- The conclusions drawn by the applicant from an alleged error by the complainant
concerning the maximum discount of 19% granted by BASF are, the Commission
submits, exaggerated. In the first place, when Accinauto replied to a request for
information, it confirmed having granted a 19% discount to IMF. It is therefore
for the applicant to explain the contradiction between its reply to the Commission
and its current statements. Moreover, as regards the maximum discount authorised
by the manufacturer, it was normal for the applicant not to grant it to IMF from
the outset, especially since the orders initially placed by that company were for
small quantities. The applicant's objections concerning the accuracy of the
complainant's statements are, the Commission submits, unfounded. The question
whether and when the maximum discount of 19% was granted to IMF in full does
not affect the fact that, in March 1986, the applicant obtained authorisation from
BASF to supply the complainant and for the discounts to be applied.
- 81.
- The note made by a BASF employee, dated 5 June 1990, is not such as to establish
that the manufacturer was informed in 1989 of the supplies effected through the
intermediary of Technipaint. In the Commission's submission, the internal
memoranda referred to in points 47 and 50 of the preamble to the decision show
that the applicant pursued its deliveries to IMF without the knowledge or
authorisation of BASF.
- 82.
- The applicant is confusing cause and effect in its explanation of the reasons which
led it to terminate supplies to IMF. The threat to bring a complaint which was
made in the conversation of 5 June 1990 followed the statements of Mr Dudouet
to IMF at the end of May 1990 to the effect that he had been put under pressure
by BASF and was therefore no longer able to supply Glasurit products. The
refusal to pay the account for May did not occur until July, following the dispute
which arose between IMF and Accinauto. The Commission therefore reaffirms its
findings concerning the date and circumstances of the halting of deliveries to IMF.
It further maintains that Accinauto has not demonstrated that IMF demanded
larger deliveries or more advantageous terms.
Findings of the Court
- 83.
- It should be observed, as a preliminary point, that the infringement of the
competition rules which the Commission, in the contested decision, found to exist
concerns the conclusion by the parties of an agreement designed to prevent parallel
imports of Glasurit products into the United Kingdom. The Court's examination
of the implementation of the 1982 agreement is therefore concerned solely with
confirming whether the Commission's interpretation of Article 2(2) thereof is well
founded.
- 84.
- In that respect, the applicant denies the existence of a causal link between the facts
noted in the decision and the implementation of an alleged agreement contrary to
Article 81(1) EC. In its submission, the conduct of the parties to the 1982
agreement is explained by the difficulties in supply experienced by BASF during the
period in question and by business decisions taken independently by Accinauto.
- 85.
- However, the Commission has correctly pointed out that the bottlenecks affected
BASF deliveries only between 1988 and 1990, whereas the agreement complained
of was in force from 1982 until 1991.
- 86.
- Nor can those difficulties substantiate the explanation given by the applicant for its
contacts with BASF in March 1986, before the first delivery to IMF took place;
there was no objective reason why Mr Dudouet needed to enquire first as to the
availability of the products ordered.
- 87.
- Moreover, business relations between Accinauto and IMF intensified in 1989,
notwithstanding the serious difficulties experienced by BASF during the whole of
that year. At the time when those relations were broken off, in June 1990, the
shortage situation pleaded by the applicant was already largely alleviated.
- 88.
- It is, moreover, apparent from BASF's internal memoranda and from the
correspondence which it received from BASF C & I and Accinauto that the
problem of parallel imports arose in the context of their effects on the business of
the British subsidiary and not in the context of difficulties in delivery which might
affect the supply of Belgian and Luxembourg customers.
- 89.
- It follows that the difficulties affecting BASF's deliveries did not have a substantial
impact in this case on the implementation of the 1982 agreement. That being so,
Accinauto's arguments as to the lawfulness of its conduct in a situation of shortage,
particularly in the light of the recitals in the preamble to Regulation No 1983/83
of 22 June 1983, are irrelevant for the purposes of the examination of this case.
- 90.
- The Court finds that, according to an internal memorandum of BASF dated 5 June
1990, Accinauto had obtained 'special authorisation to supply IMF:
'The owner of [IMF], Derby, is insisting on further car paint supplies from
Accinauto (1989 approx. 10 tonnes). For this customer, Mr Dudouet had at the
time obtained a special supply authorisation from Mr Kunath. At that time,
authorisation was given for a limited amount of supplies from Brussels. Reason: no
increase in volume by other dealers in Belgium. If consent is not given for a further
supply, we are threatened with court proceedings. [...] Mr Dudouet is waiting to
hear what the approach should be in future.
- 91.
- In a letter of 7 June 1989, addressed to BASF, Mr Dudouet refers to the context
in which that authorisation had been granted and maintained up to that date:
'Three or four years ago now, Glasurit decided, in view of the large quantities of
parallel imports into the United Kingdom, to place with our help, on all products
sold coming from our stocks, a special marking for each customer, to enable the
origin of the consignment to be determined easily. [...] In view of this trade, we
agreed with Glasurit to try to channel and normalise these purchases in order to
follow the quantities purchased by our customers regardless of purchase outside the
sales territory. [...] We would draw your attention to the fact that, if we dismantle
this network, we can no longer guarantee to you that our 70 dealers or large body
repair businesses will not be tempted or asked to do business with Great Britain,
which would considerably disrupt our internal market.
- 92.
- Those particularly clear documents show that, contrary to what it claims, Accinauto
did not act independently in its business dealings with IMF. The closeness of the
control exercised by BASF on Accinauto's exports is confirmed in another internal
memorandum, dated June 1990:
'Herewith Accinauto's reply to our question as to how much material [Glasurit] is
going from Belgium to Great Britain. We must assume that Dudouet is telling the
truth. He is well aware that he depends on us and will not wish to take any risks.
- 93.
- The second part of the plea, alleging error by the Commission in its assessment of
the implementation of the 1982 agreement, must therefore be dismissed.
Third part: effects of the agreement on competition and on trade between Member
States
Arguments of the parties
- 94.
- The applicant complains that the Commission took insufficient account of the
particularities of the British market in vehicle refinishing paints.
- 95.
- It states that parallel imports of Glasurit products developed because of the price
difference in the vehicle refinishing paints market between the United Kingdom
and other Community countries. That difference was due mainly to higher
marketing costs in the United Kingdom, but also to the price control system
operating in Belgium since the early 1980s. That system had been decided upon
by the Belgian State in order to prevent an increase in retail prices.
- 96.
- Nevertheless, the Commission was mistaken, according to the applicant, in its view
that the position of Glasurit products on the British market and the price
differences between Belgium and the United Kingdom were such as to encourage
substantial parallel imports, which were prevented by the 1982 agreement.
- 97.
- The applicant maintains, first, that the prices to be taken into account for
competition purposes are the distributor's net selling prices, representing the
relevant purchase price. The differences between the prices charged in Belgium
and those charged in the United Kingdom diminish significantly if the net selling
prices charged are considered. Moreover, there is, in addition to actual demand
fully satisfied, no potential demand. The complainant companies declared
themselves satisfied with their business relations with Accinauto and, by reason of
the favourable terms granted to it, IMF was able to supply Glasurit products not
only to Calbrook Cars Ltd but also to other British businesses.
- 98.
- Apart from the orders from IMF, the applicant received no other orders after 1986.
It could not have refused non-existent orders, at the instigation of BASF or
otherwise. It therefore challenges the validity of the Commission's finding that the
objective scope for supplies by Accinauto was by no means exhausted by the
quantities actually supplied to IMF and Calbrook Cars Ltd. Nor does the applicant
understand how the existence in the agreement of a clause which, on the
Commission's interpretation, does not prohibit passive exports but merely provides
that they be authorised by the manufacturer, could have prevented those exports,
when there was no known case in which Accinauto requested an authorisation and
did not obtain it. The company concludes that the exclusive distribution agreement
has in any event not prevented parallel imports, and has had no repercussions
whatsoever on the use made by Accinauto of objective opportunities to supply.
- 99.
- Nor, in the applicant's submission, did the 1982 agreement affect competition and
trade between Member States in any other way. Parallel importers were perfectly
well informed of the sources of supply existing in the various Community countries
and made common purchases from distributors charging the most advantageous
prices for each line of products. That is confirmed by the fact that IMF obtained
certain products from Accinauto on behalf of Calbrook Cars Ltd, while the latter
obtained other products on better terms in the Netherlands and Germany.
Moreover, the supply and demand situation cannot be viewed statically. In the
applicant's submission, it was constantly undergoing corrections, which parallel
importers took into account when deciding to place an order with a distributor.
- 100.
- The Commission replies that the documents discovered at BASF's premises disclose
the price differences found in the contested decision, and that those differences
were capable of encouraging parallel exports from Belgium to the United Kingdom.
In any event, the applicant has itself acknowledged in its application that the
differences between the prices charged in the United Kingdom and those charged
in the other Member States were one of the causes of the parallel imports.
- 101.
- The Commission submits that it has demonstrated that the agreement in question
was capable of having an appreciable effect on intra-Community trade, and points
out that it is not required to prove that trade between Member States was in fact
so affected (Case 19/77 Miller v Commission [1978] ECR 131, paragraph 15). It
emphasises that it carried out the necessary investigations and in the contested
decision presented its findings concerning the market position of the undertakings
concerned, the size of their production and exports and their pricing policy.
- 102.
- The Commission also challenges the applicant's claim that there was no potential
demand for Glasurit products on the British market during the period in question.
Accinauto itself had stated that it expected an increase in the orders placed by IMF
and Calbrook Cars Ltd, taking account of the fact that the capacity of the British
market is far greater than that of the Belgian market.
- 103.
- Finally, the Commission argues, the obligation in Article 2(2) of the exclusive
distribution agreement really constitutes a general ban on exports, coupled with a
reservation for the possible granting of authorisation on a case-by-case basis by
BASF. The applicant's objection that the agreement was incapable of producing
effects in restraint of competition, since it imposed an obligation to obtain the
manufacturer's authorisation for exports rather than prohibiting such sales, must
be rejected.
Findings of the Court
- 104.
- Article 81(1) EC prohibits all agreements between undertakings which have as their
object or effect the restriction of competition within the common market, provided
they are capable of affecting trade between Member States. It is settled case-law
that, by its nature, a clause designed to prevent a buyer from reselling or exporting
goods he has bought is liable to partition the markets and consequently to affect
trade between Member States (Miller, paragraph 7; Joined Cases C-89/85, C-104/85,
C-114/85, C-116/85, C-117/85 and C-125/85 to C-129/85 Ahlström Osakeyhtiö and
Others v Commission [1993] ECR I-1307, known as the 'Woodpulp cases,
paragraph 176). When it is evident that the sales of at least one of the parties to
an anti-competitive agreement constitute a not inconsiderable proportion of the
relevant market, Article 81(1) EC should be applied (Miller, paragraph 10; Parker
Pen, paragraph 44).
- 105.
- In this case, the applicant has disputed neither the Commission's definition of the
relevant market, namely the British market in vehicle refinishing products, nor the
fact that BASF's share of that market in 1991 was 16%, including 12% for Glasurit
products. Its criticisms are limited to the volumes of parallel imports which the
Commission took into account and the latter's statements concerning the existence
of potential demand that might be satisfied by the applicant. Bearing in mind the
position which BASF held on the relevant market and the fact, confirmed by the
applicant itself, that Glasurit prices on that market between 1986 and 1991 were,
on average, higher than those charged on the markets of other Member States,
particularly Belgium, the Commission was right in concluding that the agreement
in question was capable of affecting intra-Community trade.
- 106.
- In those circumstances, the Court finds that that agreement, by virtue of its object,
constitutes a restriction on competition prohibited by Article 81(1) EC, without its
being necessary to consider whether, as claimed by the applicant, it had no
appreciable effects on the market concerned (Joined Cases 56/64 and 58/64
Consten and Grundig v Commission [1966] ECR 299; Case T-43/92 Dunlop
Slazenger v Commission [1994] ECR II-441, paragraph 127).
- 107.
- The applicant's other objections to the Commission's finding of infringement of
Article 81(1) are therefore inoperative, since, even if upheld, they cannot lead to
the conclusion that an agreement having the object and scope of the one in point
in that case does not infringe the Community competition rules.
Fourth part: date on which the infringement ceased
Arguments of the parties
- 108.
- The applicant argues that, even if there were an infringement of the competition
rules, it ended not later than the end of June 1990. The Commission should have
held that BASF's letter to Accinauto of 21 June 1990 clearly indicated to the latter
that it was free to take its own sales decisions. In any event, the Commission itself
acknowledged that BASF's letter to IMF's lawyers of 22 June 1990, a copy of which
was sent to Accinauto, was sufficiently comprehensible and clear in that respect.
- 109.
- The Commission reiterates its contention that the agreement in restraint of
competition did not end until the parties removed the offending clause. In the
circumstances, Accinauto could not interpret the copy of the letter sent to the
complainant's lawyers in June 1990 as meaning that BASF waived the right to
approve exports which it had reserved for itself in Article 2(2) of the 1982
agreement. The aim of that letter was merely to forestall possible claims by IMF.
Findings of the Court
- 110.
- Since the infringement found by the contested decision was the conclusion of, and
participation by the parties in, an exclusive distribution agreement in which one of
the clauses pursued an object contrary to Article 81(1) EC, the Commission was
right in holding that that infringement did not end until the two parties removed
the clause in question. Under the case-law, the fact that a clause whose object is
to restrict competition has not been implemented by the contracting parties is not
sufficient to remove it from the ambit of the prohibition laid down in Article 81(1)
EC (Miller, paragraph 7; Ahlström Osakeyhtiö, paragraph 175). In this case, the
letters from BASF relied on by the applicant do not establish that the parties
genuinely intended to renounce the offending clause. Indeed, as the Commission
found, the clearer terms used in the letter of 22 June 1990 were really aimed at
weakening the accusations of anti-competitive conduct which had been addressed
to the parties by the complainant IMF.
Fifth part: determination of the amount of the fine
Arguments of the parties
- 111.
- The applicant accuses the Commission of misusing its discretion by failing to take
account, when determining the amount of the fine, of the mildness and short
duration of the alleged infringement, the difficult economic situation of the
applicant and the absence of unlawful intent.
- 112.
- Accinauto contends that the seriousness of the infringement is to be measured in
relation to the effects which the allegedly anti-competitive agreement had on trade.
In this case, the agreement had no effect, not having been implemented by the
parties. Even if it had been applied, the agreement would not have affected the
flow of parallel imports into the United Kingdom from Belgium. There was only
one refusal to supply, in December 1990, which was determined not by the
agreement but by an independent decision of the applicant. Moreover, the volume
of parallel imports affected by the 1982 agreement was insignificant in comparison
with the total sales of Glasurit products in the United Kingdom.
- 113.
- The Commission was wrong in taking the duration of the infringement to be the
whole of the period of validity of the agreement, between its conclusion on 8
October 1982 and the entry into force of the new agreement on 1 January 1992.
In the first place, the Commission itself acknowledged that the effects of the
agreement started to be felt only as from 1986. Moreover, Accinauto refused only
one delivery to IMF, and the alleged infringement ended not later than June 1990,
when BASF clearly informed the complainant and Accinauto that the latter was
free to carry out passive sales in the Member States of the Community. The
applicant therefore contends that to take the whole period of validity of the
agreement into account is unjust, and seriously infringes the principle of
proportionality.
- 114.
- The applicant further emphasises that the lawyers consulted at the time the
agreement was concluded considered that the clause in question complied with
Community law. The parties and their employees were thus not aware, during the
period of validity of that agreement, that they were committing an infringement of
the competition rules of the Treaty.
- 115.
- The Commission argues that prohibitions on exports are by their nature serious
infringements of competition, since they seek artificially to maintain price
differences between the markets of Member States and jeopardise the freedom of
intra-Community trade (Joined Cases 100/80, 101/80, 102/80 and 103/80 Musique
Diffusion Française and Others v Commission [1983] ECR 1825, paragraph 107).
The market share of the parallel imports concerned by the infringement are
therefore immaterial in determining its seriousness. The Commission further
maintains that it has already refuted the applicant's claims that the 1982 agreement
had no economic effects on parallel imports from Belgium to the United Kingdom,
or any influence on the decisions taken by Accinauto.
- 116.
- The infringement began on the date on which the exclusive distribution agreement
stipulating a right of approval for the manufacturer was concluded, and continued
during the whole period of validity of that agreement (Joined Cases 96/82 to
102/82, 104/82, 105/82, 108/82 and 110/82 IAZ v Commission [1983] ECR 3369,
paragraph 59). The mere silence of Accinauto which followed BASF's letters of
21 and 22 June 1990 could not validly have varied the 1982 agreement. Under
Article 12(2) of that agreement, variations were valid only if made in writing.
- 117.
- The Commission challenges the applicant's argument that there was no deliberate
intention to restrict competition because the parties were unaware that they were
infringing Community law. Any error of law that may have been committed by
BASF's lawyers did nothing to alter the fact that the intention of BASF was to
impose a passing-on obligation on Accinauto and thereby to control parallel exports
to the United Kingdom.
Findings of the Court
- 118.
- Under Article 15(2) of Regulation No 17, the Commission may by decision impose
on undertakings which have intentionally or negligently infringed Article 81(1) EC
fines of between ECU 1 000 and 1 000 000 or a sum in excess thereof but not
exceeding 10% of the turnover in the preceding business year of each of the
undertakings participating in the infringement. Within those limits, the amount of
the fine is determined by reference to the seriousness of the infringement and its
duration (Musique Diffusion Française, paragraph 118; Case T-327/94 SCA Holding
v Commission [1998] ECR II-1373, paragraph 175).
- 119.
- For an infringement of the competition rules of the Treaty to be considered to
have been committed intentionally, it is not necessary for the undertaking to have
been aware that it was infringing a prohibition laid down by those rules; it is
sufficient that it was aware that the object of the offending conduct was to restrict
competition (IAZ, paragraph 45; Case T-66/92 Herlitz v Commission [1994] ECR
II-531, paragraph 45). As the Court has already found, the applicant cannot have
been unaware that the object of the offending clause in the 1982 agreement was
to restrict parallel imports, and, as a result, by partitioning the various national
markets, to thwart the very objective of realising the single market which the Treaty
seeks to attain. The advice of a lawyer, which the applicant pleads in its aid, cannot
exonerate it in that respect (Miller, paragraph 18).
- 120.
- The Court finds in this case that the Commission complied with the ceiling laid
down by Regulation No 17, which refers to the overall turnover of the undertaking
concerned (Musique Diffusion Française, paragraph 119; Case T-83/91 Tetra Pak v
Commission [1994] ECR II-755, paragraph 247). The amount of the fine thus
represents only 0.05% of Accinauto's overall turnover in 1991, which amounted to
around ECU 18 450 000 (BEF 738 000 000; see paragraph 1 above).
- 121.
- It is settled case-law that the amount of the fine must be fixed at a level which
takes account of the circumstances and the gravity of the infringement, the last-mentioned matter to be appraised by taking account of the nature of the
restrictions on competition (Parker Pen, paragraph 92; Joined Cases T-213/95 and
T-18/96 SCK and FNK v Commission [1997] ECR II-1739, paragraph 246).
- 122.
- In the contested decision, the Commission was right in finding that the infringement
was particularly serious, having regard, in particular, to the nature of the restriction
on competition in question and BASF's strong position on the market for vehicle
refinishing paints in Europe.
- 123.
- The Commission's assessment of the duration of the infringement is, furthermore,
in no way erroneous, given that that infringement has been characterised as being
the conclusion by the parties of an agreement containing a clause pursuing an
object contrary to Article 81(1) EC. Even if the Court were unable to find that such
a clause was implemented, the fact remains that its mere existence was capable of
creating a 'visual and psychological effect which contributed to a partitioning of
the market (Miller, paragraph 7; Herlitz, paragraph 40). The infringement which
began when the 1982 agreement was concluded did not therefore end until the
offending clause was effectively removed.
- 124.
- Finally, it should be noted that the Commission accepted as a mitigating
circumstance the fact that the parties terminated the infringement on 1 January
1992, before the statement of objections was sent to them on 12 May 1993. It also
took account of the fact that Accinauto is economically dependent on BASF, and
that the latter took advantage of that dependence in order to impose its economic
interests.
- 125.
- In those circumstances, this Court finds that, in setting the fine on the applicant at
ECU 10 000, the Commission did not exceed the bounds of the discretion which
it enjoys in determining the amount of fines.
- 126.
- In the light of all the foregoing considerations, the applicant's claims must be
dismissed in their entirety, without its being necessary to examine its claim that the
Commission should pay it interest at 9.5% on the amount of the fine.
Costs
- 127.
- Under Article 87(2) of the Rules of Procedure, the unsuccessful party is to be
ordered to pay the costs if they have been applied for in the successful party's
pleadings. Since the applicant has been unsuccessful and the Commission has
applied for costs, the applicant must be ordered to pay the costs.
On those grounds,
THE COURT OF FIRST INSTANCE (First Chamber)
hereby:
1. Dismisses the application;
2. Orders the applicant to pay the costs.
Vesterdorf Moura Ramos
Mengozzi
|
Delivered in open court in Luxembourg on 19 May 1999.
H. Jung
B. Vesterdorf
Registrar
President