2.12.2006   

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 294/39


Judgment of the Court of First Instance of 27 September 2006 — GlaxoSmithKline Services v Commission

(Case T-168/01) (1)

(Competition - Wholesale distribution of medicines - Parallel trade - Differentiated prices - Article 81(1) EC - Agreement - Restriction of competition - Object - Relevant market - Effect - Article 81(3) EC - Contribution to the promotion of technical progress - No elimination of competition - Evidence - Statement of reasons - Subsidiarity)

(2006/C 294/82)

Language of the case: English

Parties

Applicant: GlaxoSmithKline Services Unlimited, formerly Glaxo Wellcome plc (Brentford, Middlesex, United Kingdom) (represented by S. Martínez Lage, lawyer, I. Forrester QC, F. Depoortere, A. Schultz, T. Louko and I. Vandenborre, lawyers)

Defendant: Commission of the European Communities (represented by: initially P. Oliver, then É. Gippini Fournier, Agents,)

Interveners in support of the defendant: European Association of Euro Pharmaceutical Companies (EAEPC) (Brussels, Belgium)) (represented: initially by U. Zinsmeister and M. Lienemeyer, then by A. Martin-Ehlers, and finally by M. Hartmann-Rüppel, lawyers); Bundesverband der Arzneimittell-Importeure eV, (Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany) (represented: initially by M. Epping and W. Rehmann, then by W. Rehmann, lawyers); Spain Pharma, SA, (Madrid, Spain) (represented by: P. Muñoz Carpena, B. Ortúzar Somoza and R. Gutiérrez Sánchez, lawyers); and Asociación de exportadores españoles de productos farmacéuticos (Aseprofar), (Madrid, Spain) (represented: initially by M. Araujo Boyd and R. Sanz, then by M. Araujo Boyd and J.L. Buendia Sierra, lawyers)

Re:

Annulment of Commission Decision C(2001) 1202 final of 8 May 2001 relating to a proceeding pursuant to Article 81 of the EC Treaty (Cases IV/36.957/F3 Glaxo Wellcome (notification), IV/36.997/F3 Aseprofar and Fedifar (complaint), IV/37.380/F3 EAEPC (complaint)) — Spain Pharma (complaint), IV/37.138/F3 — BAI (complaint) and IV/37.380/F3 — EAEPC (complaint)) (OJ 2001 L 302, p. 1)

Operative part of the judgment

The Court:

1.

Annuls Articles 2, 3 and 4 of Commission Decision 2001/791/EC of 8 May 2001 relating to a proceeding pursuant to Article 81 of the EC Treaty (Cases IV/36.957/F3 Glaxo Wellcome (notification), IV/36.997/F3 Aseprofar and Fedifar (complaint), IV/37.121/F3 Spain Pharma (complaint), IV/37.138/F3 BAI (complaint) and IV/37.380/F3 EAEPC (complaint));

2.

Dismisses the remainder of the application;

3.

Orders GlaxoSmithKline Services Unlimited to bear one half of its own costs and to pay one half of the costs incurred by the Commission, including those relating to the interventions;

4.

Orders the Commission to bear one half of its own costs and to pay one half of the costs incurred by GlaxoSmithKline Services, including those relating to the interventions;

5.

Orders the Asociación de exportadores españoles de productos farmacéuticos (Aseprofar), the Bundesverband der Arzneimittell-Importeure eV, the European Association of Euro Pharmaceutical Companies (EAEPC) and Spain Pharma, SA, to bear their own costs.


(1)  OJ C 275, 29.9.2001.