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III. Competition

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 January 2008

Joe McMahon
Affiliation:
Senior Lecturer in Law, University of Edinburgh.
Robert Lane
Affiliation:
Senior Lecturer in Law, University of Edinburgh.

Extract

The period under review (Autumn 1999–Spring 2001) saw a number of important cases decided by the Court of Justice involving breaches of Article 81(1). Pre-eminent are three judgments involving cartels and one involving distribution contracts.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © British Institute of International and Comparative Law 2001

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References

1. Decisions 91/297–300 OJ 1991 L152/1, 16, 21, 40.

2. Case C–137/92P Commission v. BASF and ors [1994] E.C.R. I–2555.

3. Cases T–30etc/91 Solvay & ICI v. Commission [1995] E.C.R. II-1775, 1821, 1825, 1847, 1901.

4. Case C–286/95P Commission v. ICI and Cases C–287 & 288/95P Commission v. Solvay, judgments of 6 April 2000, not yet reported.

5. Solvay, Solvay and ICI, decisions adopted 13 Dec. 2000, not yet published.

6. 49 I.C.L.Q. 227, 228.Google Scholar

7. Cases T–305 etc/94 Limburgse Vinyl Maatschappij and ors v. Commission [1999] E.C.R. II-931.

8. Case C238/99P Limburgse Vinyl Maatschappij and ors v. Commission, pending.

9. Decision 94/601 (Cartonboard) OJ 1994 L243/1.

10. In a series of judgments the first of which is Case T–295/94 Buchmann v. Commission [1998] E.C.R. II-813.

11. In a series of judgments the first of which is Case C–248/98P Koninklijke KNP BT v. Commission, judgments of 16 Nov. 2000, not yet reported.

12. EC Treaty, Art. 229; Regulation 17/62, JO 1962, 204, Art. 17.

13. Case T–49/95 van Megen Sports v. Commission [1996] E.C.R. II-1799.

14. Guidelines on the method of setting fines pursuant to Art. 15(2) of Regulation No. 17 and Art. 65(5) of the ECSC Treaty, OJ 1998 C9/3.

15. Case T–294/94 Buchmann, supra n.10 at 862; Case T–334/94 Sarrió v. Commission [1998] E.C.R. II-1439 at 1541.

16. Case C–280/98P Moritz J. Weig v. Commission and Case C–291/98P Sarrió v. Commission, judgments of 16 Nov. 2000, not yet reported.

17. Case C–280/98P Moritz J. Weig, Ibid. at paras 43, 46, 47.

18. Decision 94/215 OJ 1994 L116/1.

19. Decision 94/815 OJ 1994 L343/1.

20. Case T–141/94 Thyssen Stahl v. Commission [1999] E.C.R. II-343; under appeal as Case C–194/99P Thyssen Stahl v. Commission, pending.

21. Cases T–25 etc/95 Cimenteries CBR and ors v. Commission, judgment of 15 March 2000, not yet reported.

22. OJ 2000 C122/18.

23. Cement judgment, supra n.21, para. 142.

24. Paras 142–144.

25. Paras 241, 247.

26. Cases T–38, 52 & 56/95.

27. Cement judgment, supra n.21, para. 383.

28. Paras 631, 633, 635.

29. Regulation 1/58, JO 1958, 385, Art. 3.

30. Cement judgment, supra n.21, para. 643.

31. Cases T–31, 38, 45, 46, 51, 53, 56, 57 & 64/95.

32. Cases C–204 etc/00P Aalborg Portland and ors v. Commission, pending.

33. Cases T–31 & 32/95.

34. Case T–2/01 Verenigd Nederlandse Cementindustrie v. Commission and Case T–3/01 Eerste Nederlandse Cement Industrie v. Commission, both pending.

35. 47 I.C.L.Q. 713, 715.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

36. Decision 96/478 (Bayer/Adalat) OJ 1996 L201/1.

37. Case T–41/96 Bayer v. Commission, judgment of 26 Oct. 2000, not yet reported.

38. Ibid., paras 174, 176.

39. Decision 98/273 (Volkswagen) OJ 1998 L124/60.

40. Case T–62/98 Volkswagen v. Commission, judgment of 6 July 2000, not yet reported.

41. Ibid., para. 236.

42. Decision 2001/146 (Opel) OJ 2001 L59/1.

43. Ibid., para. 103.

44. Idem.

45. Ibid., para. 111.

46. Case C–338/00P Volkswagen v. Commission, pending.

47. Case C–3/01P Commission v. Bayer, pending.

48. Green Paper on Vertical Restraints in EC Competition Policy, COM (96) 721 fin.

49. Follow-Up to the Green Paper on vertical restraints: Communication on the Application of the Community competition rules to vertical restraints, OJ 1998 C365/3.

50. Regulation 1215/1999 OJ 1999 L148/1, amending Regulation 19/65 JO 1965, 533.

51. Regulation 2790/1999 OJ 1999 L336/21.

52. Regulation 1983/83 OJ 1983 L173/1.

53. Regulation 1984/83 OJ 1983 L173/5.

54. Regulation 4087/88 OJ 1988 L359/46.

55. Regulation 2790/1999, Art. 13.

56. Art. 2(1).

57. Art. 3.

58. Art. 2(2).

59. Art. 1(4).

60. Art. 4(a).

61. Art. 4(b), (c).

62. Art. 5(a).

63. Art. 5(b).

64. Arts 4(c), (d) and 5(c).

65. Arts 6, 7.

66. Art. 8.

67. Guidelines on vertical restraints attached to the draft regulation, OJ 1999 C270/7, Chap. III 1.

68. Proposal for a Council Regulation amending Regulation 19/65, COM(98) 546 fin, Explanatory Memorandum.

69. OJ 2000 C291/1.

70. Regulation 2790/1999, Art. 13.

71. Regulation 823/2000 OJ 2000 L100/24, replacing Regulation 479/92 OJ 1992 L55/3; entry into force and expiry of Regulation 823/2000 provided in Art. 14.

72. Regulation 2658/2000 OJ 2000 L304/3 (the “specialisation block exemption regulation”, replacing Regulation 417/85 OJ 1985 L53/1) and Regulation 2659/2000 OJ 2000 L304/7 (the “R & D block exemption regulation”, replacing Regulation 418/85 OJ 1985 L53/5).

73. Regulation 2658/2000, Art. 4; Regulation 2659/2000, Art. 4(2–3).

74. OJ 2001 C3/2.

75. Regulation 2658/2000, Art. 9; Regulation 2659/2000, Art. 9.

76. Report on the evaluation of Regulation (EC) No 1475/95 on the application of Art. 85(3) of the Treaty to certain categories of motor vehicle distribution and servicing agreements, COM(2000) 743 fin.

77. See Commission press release IP/01/204.

78. Regulation 240/96 OJ 1996 L31/2; see Art. 12(2).

79. Regulation 994/98 OJ 1998 L142/1.

80. Regulation 68/2001 OJ 2001 L10/20.

81. Regulation 69/2001 OJ 2001 L10/30.

82. Regulation 70/2001 OJ 2001 L10/33.

83. Regulation 659/99 OJ 1999 L83/1.

84. Regulation 68/2001, Art. 4.

85. Art. 5.

86. Commission Recommendation 96/280 OJ 1996 L107/4. Small undertakings are those with fewer than 50 employees and either an annual turnover of no more than €7 million or an annual balance sheet total of no more than €5 million; medium sized undertakings are larger but with fewer than 250 employees and either an annual turnover of no more than €40 million or an annual balance sheet total of no more than €27 million.

87. Regulation 70/2001, Arts 4–6.

88. Regulation 68/2001, Art. 3(1) and (2)(b); Regulation 70/2001, Art. 3(1) and (2)(b).

89. Regulation 69/2001, Art. l(a).

90. Regulation 70/2001, Art. l(2)(a).

91. Regulation 68/2001, Art. 1.

92. Regulation 69/2001, Art. l(2)(b-c); Regulation 70/2001, Art. l(2)(b-c).

93. Regulation 68/2001, Art. 7; Regulation 69/2001, Art. 3; Regulation 70/2001, Art. 9.

94. Regulation 68/2001, Art. 8(1); Regulation 69/2001, Art. 4(1); Regulation 70/2001, Art. 10(1).

95. Cases T–24 etc/94 Compagnie Maritime Beige and ors v. Commission [1996] E.C.R. II-1201.

96. Cases T–68, 77 & 78/89 Società Italiano Vetro v. Commission (Flat Glass) [1992] E.C.R. II-1403.

97. Case C–393/92 Gemeente Almelo v. Energiebedrijf IJsselmij [1994] E.C.R. I–1477.

98. Cases C–395 & 396/96P Compagnie Maritime Beige and ors v. Commission, judgment of 16 March 2000, not yet reported, at paras 36, 41, 42 and 45.

99. Case C–497/99P Irish Sugar v. Commission, pending.

100. Cases T–191 etc/98 Atlantic Containers Line and ors v. Commission, pending.

101. COM (2000) 399 fin.

102. OJ 2000 C217/32.

103. OJ 2001 C68/3.

104. Decision 97/816 OJ 1997 L336/16.

105. Case M.1879 (Boeing/Hughes), decision of 27 Sept. 2000, not yet published.

106. Case M.1672 (Volvo/Scania), decision of 15 March 2000; Case M.1741 (MCI Worldcom/Sprint), decision of 28 June 2000; Case M.2097 (SCA/Metsä Tissue), decision of 31 Jan. 2001; none yet published.

107. Lov nr. 416 af 31. maj 2000 (Lov om ændring af konkurrenceloven); Konkurrenceloven, § § 12–12g; in force 1 Oct. 2000.

108. White Paper on Modernisation of the Rules Implementing Articles 85 and 86 of the EC Treaty, OJ 1999 C132/1.

109. 49 I.C.L.Q. 227, 231–234.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

110. Proposal for a Council Regulation on the implementation of the rules on competition laid down in Arts 81 and 82 of the Treaty, OJ 2000 C365E/284.

111. Lov nr. 416 af 31. maj 2000, supra n.107; Konkurren eel oven, § 23a; in force 1 Oct. 2000.

112. Draft regulation, supra n.110, Art. 36.

113. HB Ice Cream v. Masterfoods, unreported order of the High Court, 28 May 1982.

114. Decision 98/531 (van den Bergh Foods) OJ 1998 L246/1.

115. Case T–65/98 van den Bergh Foods v. Commission, pending.

116. Case C–344/98 Masterfoods v. HB Ice Cream, judgment of 14 Dec. 2000, not yet reported.

117. Ibid., para. 60.

118. Case 314/85 Foto-Frostw. Hauptzollamt Lübeck-Ost [1987] E.C.R. 4199.

119. Case C–344/98 Masterfoods, supra n.116, at paras 57, 60.

120. Case T–65/98R van den Bergh Foods v. Commission, unreported order of 28 April 1999.

121. Competition Act, 1991 (Act No. 24 of 1991), Section 6(3)(b). Because exemplary damages are available under the Competition Act, that remedy must also be available for infringement of Arts 81 and 82; applying Cases C–46 & 48/93 Brasserie du Pêcheur v. Germany and R v. Secretary of State for Transport, ex parte Factortame [1996] E.C.R. I–1029.

122. White Paper, para. 102(ii).

123. Section 10. This device is also recognised in Belgian (loi du 5 août 1991, article 32), Danish (Konkurrenceloven, § 4), Spanish (Real decreto 157/1992 de 2 de feb. de 1992, articulo 11) and Dutch (Mededingingswet, Artikelen 12,14) law. It is a requirement of the White Paper proposals (para 85) and implicit in the draft regulation, Art. 3.

124. Section 60(1).

125. Section 60(2–4).