Brussels, 27/03/2014 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 27 March, the General Court decided to reduce the fine imposed in 2008 on the French building materials group, Saint-Gobain, for its involvement with other companies in a car glass cartel from €880 million to €715 million (case T56/09 and case T73/09)
In its ruling, the General Court indicates that Saint-Gobain was not guilty of repeated infringements, as claimed by the European Commission. Consequently, the fine imposed in November 2008 on Saint-Gobain should not have been increased by 60%, the court ruled. Nevertheless, as Saint-Gobain had already been found guilty of competition infringement rules in 1984 and 1988, the General Court, however, maintained the increase in the fine but only by 30%. The Commission accused Saint-Gobain and three other groups (Pilkington, Asahi and Soliver) of having concluded illegal agreements on sharing markets and sensitive information concerning deliveries of car glass in the European Economic Area. In total, the fine imposed on the four groups was €1.38 billion. In a press release, Saint-Gobain indicated that it would examine the terms of the General Court's ruling to determine what further action it would take in this case. The company has affirmed that the initial fine and interest could be provided from the group's accounts without any difficulty. (LC)