Brussels, 19/03/2014 (Agence Europe) - In the evening of Tuesday 18 March, negotiators for the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers agreed on a draft directive to make it easier for companies and ordinary people to pursue court action in anti-trust cases for damages in the event of infringement of competition law. EU Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia welcomed the agreement for allowing victims to gain proper compensation and for ensuring suitable and balanced interaction between court action for damage and interest on the one hand, and effective public application of competition law by the European Commission and the member states on the other. MEPs, led by Andreas Schwab (EPP, Germany), introduced a voluntary compensation system to give victims faster compensation and to allow companies taken to court to have their fines reduced. The MEPs ensured that the procedures would not lead to over-compensation in the event of multiple damages. They introduced a black list of two documents - leniency statements and settlement submissions. Finally, “the decisions of national competition authorities can be presented at least as prima facie evidence (as this depends on the claimant if he does it - and then the judge decides on the evaluation of it)”. The plenary vote at the Parliament will take place in April. (EL)