Judgment of the General Court of 13 July 2011 - ThyssenKrupp Liften Ascenseurs and Others v Commission
(Cases T-144/07, T-147/07, T-148/07, T-149/07, T-150/07 and T-154/07) 1 (Competition - Agreements, decisions and concerted practices - Market for the installation and maintenance of elevators and escalators - Decision finding an infringement of Article 81 EC - Bid-rigging - Market sharing - Price fixing)
Language of the case: Dutch and German
Parties
Applicants: ThyssenKrupp Liften Ascenseurs NV (Brussels, Belgium) (represented, initially, by V. Turner and D. Mes and, subsequently, by O.W. Brouwer and J. Blockx, lawyers) (Case T-144/07); ThyssenKrupp Aufzüge GmbH (Neuhausen auf den Fildern, Germany) (represented, initially, by U. Itzen and K. Blau-Hansen, subsequently, by U. Itzen, K. Blau-Hansen and S. Thomas, and, finally, by K. Blau-Hansen and S. Thomas, lawyers) (Case T-147/07); ThyssenKrupp Fahrtreppen GmbH (Hamburg, Germany) (represented, initially, by U. Itzen and K. Blau-Hansen, subsequently, by U. Itzen, K. Blau-Hansen and S. Thomas, and, finally, by K. Blau-Hansen and S. Thomas, lawyers) (Case T-147/07); ThyssenKrupp Ascenseurs Luxembourg Sàrl (Howald, Luxembourg) (represented by: K. Beckmann, S. Dethof and U. Itzen, lawyers) (Case T-148/07); ThyssenKrupp Elevator AG (Düsseldorf, Germany) (represented by: T. Klose and J. Ziebarth, lawyers) (Case T-149/07); ThyssenKrupp AG (Duisberg, Germany) (represented, initially, by M. Klusmann and S. Thomas, lawyers, and, subsequently, by M. Klusmann) (Case T-150/07); ThyssenKrupp Liften BV (Krimpen aan den Ijssel, Netherlands) (represented by: O.W. Brouwer and A. Stoffer, lawyers) (Case T-154/07)
Defendant: European Commission (represented, in Cases T-144/07 and T-154/07, by A. Bouquet and R. Sauer, Agents, and by F. Wijckmans and F. Tuytschaever, lawyers; in Cases T-147/07 and T-148/07, initially, by R. Sauer and O. Weber and, subsequently, by R. Sauer and K. Mojzesowicz, Agents; and, in Cases T-149/07 and T-150/07, by R. Sauer and K. Mojzesowicz, Agents)
Re:
Application for annulment of Commission Decision C (2007) 512 final of 21 February 2007 relating to a proceeding under Article 81 [EC] (Case COMP/E-1/38.823 − Elevators and Escalators) or, in the alternative, reduction of the amount of the fines imposed on the applicants.
Operative part of the judgment
The Court:
Joins Cases T-144/07, T-147/07, T-148/07, T-149/07, T-150/07 and T-154/07 for the purposes of this judgment;
Annuls Article 2, paragraph 1, fourth indent, paragraph 2, fourth indent, paragraph 3, fourth indent, and paragraph 4, fourth indent, of Commission Decision C (2007) 512 final of 21 February 2007 relating to a proceeding under Article 81 [EC] (Case COMP/E-1/38.823 − Elevators and Escalators);
In Cases T-144/07, T-149/07 and T-150/07, sets the amount of the fine imposed on ThyssenKrupp Liften Ascenseurs NV, ThyssenKrupp Elevator AG and ThyssenKrupp AG in Article 2(1), fourth indent, of Decision C (2007) 512 for the infringement in Belgium at EUR 45 738 000;
In Cases T-147/07, T-149/07 and T-150/07, sets the amount of the fine imposed on ThyssenKrupp Aufzüge GmbH, ThyssenKrupp Fahrtreppen GmbH, ThyssenKrupp Elevator and ThyssenKrupp in Article 2(2), fourth indent, of Decision C (2007) 512 for the infringement in Germany at EUR 249 480 000;
In Cases T-148/07, T-149/07 and T-150/07, sets the amount of the fine imposed on ThyssenKrupp Ascenseurs Luxembourg Sàrl, ThyssenKrupp Elevator and ThyssenKrupp in Article 2(3), fourth indent, of Decision C (2007) 512 for the infringement in Luxembourg at EUR 8 910 000;
In Cases T-150/07 and T-154/07, sets the amount of the fine imposed on ThyssenKrupp Liften BV and ThyssenKrupp in Article 2(4), fourth indent, of Decision C (2007) 512 for the infringement in the Netherlands at EUR 15 651 900;
Dismisses the actions as to the remainder;
In each case, orders the applicants to bear three-quarters of their own costs and to pay three-quarters of the costs incurred by the European Commission. The Commission is ordered to bear one-quarter of its own costs and to pay one-quarter of the applicants' costs.
____________1 - OJ C 155, 7.7.2007.