Judgment of the General Court of 15 July 2015 — SLM and Ori Martin v Commission

(Cases T-389/10 and T-419/10) ¹

(Competition — Agreements, decisions and concerted practices — European prestressing steel market — Price fixing, market sharing and exchanging of sensitive commercial information — Decision finding an infringement of Article 101 TFEU — Single, complex and continuous infringement — Limitation period — 2006 Guidelines on the method of setting fines — Imputation of liablitiy for the infringment to the parent company — Proportionnality — Principle that penalties must fit the offence — Unlimited jurisdiction)

Language of the case: Italian

Parties

Applicants: Siderurgica Latina Martin SpA (SLM) (Ceprano, Italy) (represented by: G. Belotti and F. Covone, lawyers) (Case T-389/10); and Ori Martin SA (Luxembourg, Luxembourg) (represented by: P. Ziotti, lawyer) (Case T-419/10)

Defendant: European Commission (represented initially by B. Gencarelli, V. Bottka and P. Rossi, and subsequently by V. Bottka, P. Rossi and G. Conte, Agents)

Re:

Application for annulment and alteration 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), amended by Commission Decision C(2010) 6676 final of 30 September 2010, and by Commission Decision C(2011) 2269 final of 4 April 2011.

Operative part of the judgment

The Court:

Joins Cases T-389/10 and T-419/10 for the purposes of the judgment;

Annuls Article 1(16) 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), amended by Commission Decision C(2010) 6676 final of 30 September 2010, and by Commission Decision C(2011) 2269 final of 4 April 2011, in so far as it finds that Siderurgica Latina Martin SpA (SLM) participated in a series of agreements and commercial practices in the prestressing steel sector in the internal market and within the European Economic Area (EEA) from 10 February 1997 to 14 April 1997;

Annuls Article 2(16) of Decision C(2010) 4387 final, as amended by Decision C(2010) 6676 final and by Decision C(2011) 2269 final;

Reduces the fine imposed on SLM from EUR 19.8 million to EUR 19 million, of which the amount of EUR 13.3 million is imposed on a joint and several basis with Ori Martin SA; on account of the legal maximum of 10% of total turnover provided for in Article 23(2) of Regulation (EC) No 1/2003, the final amount of the fine to be imposed on SLM is set at EUR 1.956 million;

Dismisses the actions at to the remainder;

Orders the Commission to bear its own costs and to pay two thirds of the costs of SLM and one third of the costs of Ori Martin;

Orders SLM to bear one third of its own costs;

Orders Ori Martin to bear two thirds of its own costs.

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¹ OJ C 301, 6.11.2010.