Judgment of the Court of First Instance (Second Chamber) of 12 September 2007.#Coats Holdings Ltd and J & P Coats Ltd v Commission of the European Communities.#Competition - Cartels - European haberdashery market (needles) - Product market sharing - Geographic market sharing - Assessment of evidence - Participation in meetings - Tripartite agreement - Fine - Gravity and duration of the infringement - Attenuating circumstances.#Case T-36/05.

Subject of the case

Re:

APPLICATION, principally, for annulment of Commission Decision C(2004) 4221 final of 26 October 2004 relating to a proceeding under Article 81 [EC] (Case COMP/F-1/38.338 – PO/Needles) and, in the alternative, for annulment or reduction of the fine imposed on the applicants.

Operative part

Operative part

The Court:

1. Annuls Commission Decision C(2004) 4221 final of 26 October 2004 relating to a proceeding under Article 81 [EC] (Case COMP/F‑1/38.338 – PO/Needles) in so far as the Decision finds that the applicants infringed Article 81(1) EC after 13 March 1997;

2. Sets the amount of the fine imposed on the applicants under Article 2 of the Decision at EUR 20 million;

3. Dismisses the remainder of the application;

4. Orders the applicants to bear two thirds of their own costs and to pay two thirds of the costs incurred by the Commission, and the Commission to bear one third of its own costs and to pay one third of the costs incurred by the applicants.