08/07/2011 (Agence Europe) - On 8 July, as oral arguments were put forward in the T-111/08 case, MasterCard called for cancellation of the 2007 Commission decision ruling that multilateral interchange fees (MIF) charged by MasterCard on every card payment were anti-competitive. EuroCommerce, the retail, wholesale and international trade representation to the EU, calls on the Court to confirm the Commission's decision. “The interchange fee is unseen and non-negotiable and imposes a hidden tax on each card payment. This unfair extra cost puts a €12 billion per year burden on retailers and inflates prices for all European consumers”, said Christian Verschueren, EuroCommerce Director General, underlining that the Court decision will also have profound implications on the single euro payments area (SEPA). (F.G./transl.jl)