Judgment of the Court of First Instance of 14 December 2006 - Raiffeisen Zentralbank Österreich and Others v Commission
(Joined Cases T-259/02 to T-264/02 and T-271/02) 1 (Competition - Agreements, decisions and concerted practices - Austrian banking market - 'Lombard Club' - Effect on trade between Member States - Calculation of fines)
Language of the case: German
Parties
Applicants: Raiffeisen Zentralbank Österreich AG (Vienna, Austria) (represented by: S. Völcker, lawyer) (Case T-259/02); Bank Austria Creditanstalt AG (Vienna) (represented by: C. Zschocke and J. Beninca, lawyers) (Case T-260/02); Anteilsverwaltung BAWAG PSK AG, formerly Bank für Arbeit und Wirtschaft AG, (Vienna) (represented by: initially H.-J. Niemeyer and M. von Hinden and then by H.-J. Niemeyer, lawyers) (Case T-261/02); Raiffeisenlandesbank Niederösterreich-Wien AG (Vienna) (represented by: H. Wollmann, lawyer) (Case T-262/02); BAWAG PSK Bank für Arbeit und Wirtschaft und Österreichische Postsparkasse AG, formerly Österreichische Postsparkasse AG (Vienna) (represented by: initially H.-J. Niemeyer and M. von Hinden and then by H.-J. Niemeyer, lawyers) (Case T-263/02); Erste Bank der oesterreichischen Sparkassen AG (Vienna) (represented by: initially W. Kirchhoff, F. Montag, G. Bauer and A. Wegner and then by F. Montag et A. Wegner, lawyers) (Case T 264/02); Österreichische Volksbanken AG (Vienna) and Niederösterreichische Landesbank-Hypothekenbank AG (St. Pölten, Austria) (represented by: R. Roniger, A. Ablasser, R. Bierwagen et F. Neumayr, lawyers) (Case T-271/02)
Defendant: Commission of the European Communities (represented by: initially S. Rating and then by A. Bouquet, Agents, assisted by D. Waelbroeck and U. Zinsmeister, lawyers)
Re:
Primarily, applications for annulment in full or in part of Commission Decision 2004/138/EC of 11 June 2002 relating to a proceeding under Article 81 of the EC Treaty (Case COMP/36.571/D-1: Austrian banks - 'Lombard Club') (OJ 2004 L 56, p. 1) and, in the alternative, for reduction of the fines imposed on the applicants
Operative part of the judgment
The Court:
In Case T-263/02, reduces the amount of the fine imposed on the Österreichische Postsparkasse AG, the predecessor in title of the applicant, by Article 3 of Commission Decision 2004/138/EC of 11 June 2002 relating to a proceeding under Article 81 of the EC Treaty (Case COMP/36.571/D-1: Austrian banks - 'Lombard Club') to EUR 3 795 000;
Dismisses the actions as to the remainder;
In Case T-259/02, dismisses the Commission's counterclaim;
In Cases T-260/02 to T-262/02, T-264/02 and T-271/02, orders the applicants to pay the costs;
In Case T-259/02, orders the applicant to bear its own costs and 90% of the Commission's costs. The Commission is to bear 10% of its own costs;
In Case T-263/02, orders the parties to bear their own costs.
____________1 - OJ C 274, 9.11.2002.