Judgment of the General Court (First Chamber) of 3 July 2018 –
Keramag Keramische Werke and Others v Commission

(Joined Cases T‑379/10 RENV and T‑381/10 RENV)

(Competition — Agreements, decisions and concerted practices — French bathroom fittings and fixtures market — Decision finding an infringement of Article 101 TFEU and Article 53 of the EEA Agreement — Participation of certain entities in a cartel — Reassessment of the evidence)

1.      Judicial proceedings — Judgment of the Court of Justice binding the General Court — Conditions — Reference back following an appeal — Points of law finally determined by the Court of Justice in the context of the appeal — Res judicata — Scope

(Statute of the Court of Justice, Art. 61; Rules of Procedure of the General Court, Art. 215)

(see paras 26, 27)

2.      Competition — Administrative procedure — Commission decision finding an infringement — Means of proof — Documentary proof — Assessment of the probative value of a document — Criteria

(Art. 101(1) TFEU; Commission notice 2002/C 45/03)

(see paras 47, 49, 52, 58)

3.      Competition — Administrative procedure — Commission decision finding an infringement — Means of proof — Reliance on a body of evidence — Degree of evidential value necessary as regards items of evidence viewed in isolation — Permissibility of an overall assessment of a body of evidence

(Art. 101(1) TFEU)

(see para. 62)

4.      Competition — Administrative procedure — Commission decision finding an infringement — Means of proof — Documentary proof — Assessment of the probative value of a document — Criteria — Document established in immediate connection with the facts or by a direct witness of those facts — High probative value

(Art. 101 TFEU)

(see para. 63)

Re:

Application under Article 263 TFEU for, first, annulment in part 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 and Fixtures), and, secondly, reduction of the fine imposed on the applicants in that decision.

Operative part

The Court:

1. Dismisses the action;

2. Orders Keramag Keramische Werke GmbH and the other applicants whose names are set out in the annex to bear their own costs and to pay those incurred by the European Commission in Cases C‑613/13 P, T‑379/10 RENV and T‑381/10 RENV.