On February 8, 2007, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) upheld the judgment of the European Court of First Instance (CFI) imposing fines on the French food manufacturer Danone. In 2001, the European Commission found that Danone had participated in a beer cartel in Belgium and imposed a €44.04 million fine. Following Danone’s request for an annulment of the decision, the CFI upheld the Commission’s decision but reduced the fine to €42.41 million. The ECJ dismissed Danone’s appeal for a further reduction of the fine, confirming that the European Commission was right to take the duration and gravity of the infringement into account. The ECJ also underlined the European Commission's wide discretion to decide the factors that should be taken into account (e.g. repeat offences) when setting fines.
- How-to guide How-to guide: How to assess competition law risks in an agency agreement (UK)
- How-to guide How-to guide: Understanding antitrust and unfair trade practices law and your organization’s compliance obligations (USA)
- How-to guide How-to guide: How to draft an antitrust–unfair trade practices compliance program (USA)