Judgment of the General Court of 29 September 2021 – Nec v Commission

(Case T-341/18) ¹

(Competition – Agreements, decisions and concerted practices – Market for aluminium electrolytic capacitors and tantalum electrolytic capacitors – Decision finding an infringement of Article 101 TFEU and Article 53 of the EEA Agreement – Price coordination throughout the EEA – Attribution to the parent company of the infringement committed by its subsidiary – 2006 Guidelines on the method of setting fines – Gravity of the infringement – Increase in the amount of the fine for repeated infringement – Proportionality – Unlimited jurisdiction)

Language of the case: English

Parties

Applicant: Nec Corp. (Tokyo, Japan) (represented by: O. Brouwer and A. Pliego Selie, lawyers, and by R. Bachour, Solicitor)

Defendant: European Commission (represented by: A. Cleenewerck de Crayencour, L. Wildpanner and F. van Schaik, acting as Agents)

Re:

Application under Article 263 TFEU for, primarily, annulment of Commission Decision C(2018) 1768 final of 21 March 2018 relating to a proceeding under Article 101 [TFEU] and Article 53 of the EEA Agreement (Case AT.40136 – Capacitors), in so far as that decision finds that the applicant personally participated in the infringement, and, in the alternative, annulment of the fines imposed on the applicant or a reduction in the amount of those fines.

Operative part of the judgment

The Court:

Dismisses the action;

Orders Nec Corp. to bear its own costs and to pay the costs incurred by the European Commission.

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¹ OJ C 294, 20.8.2018.