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PARALLEL TEXTS
La Carta dei diritti fondamentali non osta a che la Commissione intenti, in nome dell’Unione, dinanzi a un giudice nazionale, un’azione di risarcimento dei danni subiti dall’Unione a seguito di un’intesa o di una pratica contraria al diritto dell’Unione
Inglese tratto da:
http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_CJE-12-138_en.htm
Italiano tratto da: http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_CJE-12-138_it.htm
Data documento: 06-11-2012
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The Charter of Fundamental Rights does not prevent the Commission from bringing an action, on behalf of the EU, before a national court for compensation for loss caused to the EU by an agreement or practice contrary to EU law
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La Carta dei diritti fondamentali non osta a che la Commissione intenti, in nome dell’Unione, dinanzi a un giudice nazionale, un’azione di risarcimento dei danni subiti dall’Unione a seguito di un’intesa o di una pratica contraria al diritto dell’Unione
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When the European Commission adopts a decision finding there to be a cartel, that decision is binding on all public authorities, including the national courts.
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Quando la Commissione europea emana una decisione che dichiara l'esistenza di un accordo anticoncorrenziale, tale decisione vincola i pubblici poteri e fra questi i giudici nazionali.
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In February 2007, the Commission imposed fines totalling more than €992 million on the Otis, Kone, Schindler and ThyssenKrupp groups for their participation in cartels on the market for the sale, installation, maintenance and renewal of elevators and escalators in Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.
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Nel febbraio 2007, la Commissione ha inflitto ammende per un importo complessivo di più di 992 milioni di euro ai gruppi Otis, Kone, Schindler e ThyssenKrupp per la loro partecipazione ad intese sul mercato della vendita, dell'installazione, della manutenzione e dell'ammodernamento di ascensori e di scale mobili in Belgio, Germania, Lussemburgo e Paesi Bassi.
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The companies concerned brought actions before the General Court of the EU for annulment of the decision.
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Le società interessate hanno chiesto l’annullamento di tale decisione al Tribunale dell'Unione europea.
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By judgments of 13 July 2011, the General Court dismissed the actions brought by Otis, Kone and Schindler.
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Con sentenze del 13 luglio 2011, il Tribunale ha respinto i ricorsi presentati dalle società Otis, Kone e Schindler.
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So far as the companies in the ThyssenKrupp group were concerned, the General Court decided to reduce their fines.
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Per le società del gruppo ThyssenKrupp, il Tribunale ha deciso di ridurre le ammende loro inflitte.
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Some of the companies within those four groups appealed to the Court of Justice seeking to have the judgments of the General Court set aside.
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Alcune società di questi quattro gruppi hanno impugnato le sentenze del Tribunale dinanzi alla Corte di giustizia per ottenerne l'annullamento.
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In parallel, in June 2008, the Commission – representing the EU
(at that time the European Community) – brought proceedings before the Brussels
Commercial Court claiming €7 061 688 688 from Otis, Kone, Schindler and ThyssenKrupp.
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Parallelamente, nel giugno 2008, la Commissione - in qualità di rappresentante dell'Unione Europea (all'epoca denominata Comunità europea) - ha proposto dinanzi al tribunal de commerce de Bruxelles (Belgio), un'azione chiedendo che le società Otis, Kone, Schindler e ThyssenKrupp fossero condannate a pagare la somma di EUR 7 061 688.
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The Commission maintained that the EU had sustained financial loss in Belgium and Luxembourg as a result of the cartel in which those undertakings had taken part.
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La Commissione ha fatto valere che l'Unione europea aveva subito un danno economico, in Belgio e in Lussemburgo, a causa dell'intesa cui tali società avevano partecipato.
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The EU had entered into a number of contracts for the installation, maintenance and renewal of elevators and escalators in various buildings of the EU institutions with offices in both countries, the price of which was allegedly higher than the market price as a consequence of the cartel declared unlawful by the Commission.
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L'Unione europea aveva infatti aggiudicato vari appalti pubblici per l’installazione, la manutenzione e l’ammodernamento di ascensori e scale mobili in diversi edifici delle Istituzioni europee aventi sede in questi due paesi, il cui prezzo sarebbe stato superiore a quello di mercato a causa dell'intesa dichiarata illegittima dalla Commissione.
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Against that background, the Brussels Commercial Court has decided to refer a number of questions to the Court of Justice for a preliminary ruling.
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In questo contesto, il tribunal de commerce de Bruxelles ha deciso di sottoporre diverse questioni pregiudiziali alla Corte.
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It asks, in the first place, whether the Commission is entitled to represent the EU before a national court in the specific context of this case.
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In primo luogo, esso chiede se la Commissione sia legittimata a rappresentare l'Unione dinanzi al giudice nazionale nello specifico ambito di questa causa.
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The Court considers that since the proceedings were commenced before the entry into force of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), representation of the EU is governed by the Treaty Establishing the European Community (EC).
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A questo proposito, la Corte considera che, atteso che il ricorso è stato introdotto prima dell’entrata in vigore del Trattato sul funzionamento dell'Unione Europea (TFUE), la rappresentanza dell’Unione è disciplinata dal Trattato che istituisce la Comunità europea (CE).
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The Commission is thus entitled to represent the Community before the national court, there being no need for it to have specific authorisation for that purpose.
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Pertanto, la Commissione è legittimata a rappresentare la Comunità dinanzi al giudice nazionale senza che sia necessario che essa disponga di uno specifico mandato a tal fine.
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In the second place, the national court asks whether the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU precludes the Commission from bringing an action, on behalf of the EU, for damages for loss sustained by the EU as a result of anti-competitive conduct which has been found by a Commission decision to constitute an infringement.
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In secondo luogo, il giudice nazionale chiede se la Carta dei diritti fondamentali dell’Unione europea osti a che la Commissione intenti – in qualità di rappresentante dell’Unione – un’azione di risarcimento dei danni subiti dall’Unione a seguito di un comportamento anticoncorrenziale la cui illegittimità sia stata accertata con una decisione di tale istituzione.
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The Court points out, first of all, that any person can claim compensation for the harm suffered where there is a causal link between that harm and a prohibited agreement or practice and that the EU may thus also avail itself of that right.
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La Corte ricorda anzitutto che chiunque ha il diritto di chiedere il risarcimento del danno subìto quando sussiste un nesso di causalità tra tale danno e un’intesa o una pratica vietata e che tale diritto spetta pertanto anche all’Unione.
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When that right is exercised, however, the fundamental rights of the parties, as safeguarded, inter alia, by the Charter, must be observed.
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Questo diritto deve tuttavia essere esercitato nell’osservanza dei diritti fondamentali delle parti, come garantiti, segnatamente, dalla Carta.
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With regard, in particular, to the right to effective judicial protection, the Court notes that it comprises a number of elements, including the right of access to a tribunal and the principle of equality of arms.
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Per quanto riguarda, in particolare, il diritto alla tutela giurisdizionale effettiva, la Corte ricorda che tale diritto è costituito da diversi elementi tra cui, tra l’altro, il diritto di ricorso ad un giudice e il principio della parità delle armi.
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As regards the right of access to a tribunal, the Court states that the rule that national courts are bound by a finding of infringement made in a Commission decision does not mean that the parties do not have access to a tribunal.
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In tema di diritto di ricorso ad un giudice, la Corte rileva che la regola secondo cui i giudici nazionali sono vincolati dalla dichiarazione di illegittimità di un comportamento avvenuta tramite una decisione della Commissione non implica che le parti non abbiano il diritto di ricorso ad un giudice.
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The Court points out, in that regard, that EU law provides for a system of judicial review of Commission competition decisions which affords all the safeguards required by the Charter of Fundamental Rights.
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In proposito, la Corte sottolinea che il diritto dell’Unione prevede un sistema di controllo giurisdizionale delle decisioni della Commissione in materia di concorrenza che offre tutte le garanzie richieste dalla Carta dei diritti fondamentali.
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The Court also states that, although it is true that national courts are bound by the Commission’s findings of anti-competitive conduct, the fact remains that they alone are competent to assess whether there is loss and a direct causal link between that conduct and the loss sustained.
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La Corte rileva altresì che, sebbene i giudici nazionali siano vincolati da quanto la Commissione ha accertato in merito all'esistenza di un comportamento anticoncorrenziale, essi rimangono tuttavia gli unici competenti a valutare la sussistenza del danno e del nesso di causalità diretta tra tale comportamento ed il danno subito.
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Even when the Commission has found it necessary to determine the precise effects of the infringement in its decision, it still falls to the national court to determine individually the loss caused to each of the persons to have brought an action for damages.
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Anche quando la Commissione ha ritenuto necessario precisare gli effetti dell’infrazione nella sua decisione, spetta pur sempre al giudice nazionale determinare individualmente il danno cagionato a ciascuno dei soggetti che hanno intentato un’azione di risarcimento.
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For those reasons, the Commission is not judge and party in its own cause.
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Per questi motivi, la Commissione non è parte e giudice in causa propria.
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Finally, with regard to the principle of equality of arms, the Court recalls that the aim of that principle is to ensure a balance between the parties to proceedings, thereby guaranteeing that any document submitted to the court may be examined and challenged by any party to the proceedings.
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Infine, per quanto riguarda il principio della parità delle armi, la Corte ricorda che esso è inteso ad assicurare l’equilibrio tra le parti del processo, garantendo così che qualsiasi documento prodotto dinanzi al giudice possa essere esaminato e contestato da ciascuna di esse.
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The Court observes that in the present case the information gathered by the Commission during the infringement procedure – information which the companies claim has not been brought to their knowledge – has not been provided to the national court by the Commission.
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Orbene, la Corte osserva che, nel caso di specie, le informazioni raccolte dalla Commissione nel corso del procedimento di infrazione — informazioni di cui le società ricorrenti affermano di non essere state a conoscenza — non sono state fornite al giudice nazionale dalla Commissione.
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In any event, EU law prohibits the Commission from using information collected in the course of a competition investigation for purposes other than those of the investigation.
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Ad ogni modo, il diritto dell’Unione vieta di utilizzare le informazioni raccolte nel corso di un’indagine in materia di concorrenza per scopi che esulino da tale indagine.
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Accordingly, the Court concludes that the Charter does not preclude the Commission from bringing an action before a national court, on behalf of the EU, for damages in respect of loss sustained by the EU as a result of an agreement or practice contrary to EU law.
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Alla luce di tali considerazioni, la Corte giunge alla conclusione che la Carta dei diritti fondamentali non osta a che la Commissione intenti, in nome dell’Unione, dinanzi a un giudice nazionale, un’azione di risarcimento dei danni subiti dall’Unione a seguito di un’intesa o di una pratica contraria al diritto dell’Unione.
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NOTE:
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IMPORTANTE:
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A reference for a preliminary ruling allows the courts and tribunals of the Member States, in disputes which have been brought before them, to refer questions to the Court of Justice about the interpretation of European Union law or the validity of a European Union act.
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Il rinvio pregiudiziale consente ai giudici degli Stati membri, nell'ambito di una controversia della quale sono investiti, di interpellare la Corte in merito all’interpretazione del diritto dell’Unione o alla validità di un atto dell’Unione.
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The Court of Justice does not decide the dispute itself.
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La Corte non risolve la controversia nazionale.
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It is for the national court or tribunal to dispose of the case in accordance with the Court’s decision, which is similarly binding on other national courts or tribunals before which a similar issue is raised. |
Spetta al giudice nazionale risolvere la causa conformemente alla decisione della Corte.Tale decisione vincola egualmente gli altri giudici nazionali ai quali venga sottoposto un problema simile. |
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LISTEN WITH READSPEAKER
The Charter of Fundamental Rights does not prevent the Commission from
bringing an action, on behalf of the EU, before a national court for
compensation for loss caused to the EU by an agreement or practice contrary to
EU law
When the European Commission adopts a decision finding there to be
a cartel, that decision is binding on all public authorities, including the
national courts.
In February 2007, the Commission imposed fines totalling more than €992
million on the Otis, Kone, Schindler and ThyssenKrupp groups for their
participation in cartels on the market for the sale, installation, maintenance
and renewal of elevators and escalators in Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg and the
Netherlands.
The companies concerned brought actions before the General Court of the
EU for annulment of the decision.
By judgments of 13 July 2011, the General Court dismissed the actions
brought by Otis, Kone and Schindler.
So far as the companies in the ThyssenKrupp group were concerned, the
General Court decided to reduce their fines.
Some of the companies within those four groups appealed to the Court of
Justice seeking to have the judgments of the General Court set aside.
In parallel, in June 2008, the Commission – representing the EU (at
that time the European Community) – brought proceedings before the Brussels
Commercial Court claiming €7 061 688 from Otis, Kone, Schindler and
ThyssenKrupp.
The Commission maintained that the EU had sustained financial loss in
Belgium and Luxembourg as a result of the cartel in which those undertakings had
taken part.
The EU had entered into a number of contracts for the installation,
maintenance and renewal of elevators and escalators in various buildings of the
EU institutions with offices in both countries, the price of which was allegedly
higher than the market price as a consequence of the cartel declared unlawful by
the Commission.
Against that background, the Brussels Commercial Court has decided to
refer a number of questions to the Court of Justice for a preliminary ruling.
It asks, in the first place, whether the Commission is entitled to
represent the EU before a national court in the specific context of this case.
The Court considers that since the proceedings were commenced before
the entry into force of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union
(TFEU), representation of the EU is governed by the Treaty Establishing the
European Community (EC)
The Commission is thus entitled to represent the Community before the
national court, there being no need for it to have specific authorisation for
that purpose.
In the second place, the national court asks whether the Charter of
Fundamental Rights of the EU precludes the Commission from bringing an action,
on behalf of the EU, for damages for loss sustained by the EU as a result of
anti-competitive conduct which has been found by a Commission decision to
constitute an infringement.
The Court points out, first of all, that any person can claim
compensation for the harm suffered where there is a causal link between that
harm and a prohibited agreement or practice and that the EU may thus also avail
itself of that right.
When that right is exercised, however, the fundamental rights of the
parties, as safeguarded, inter alia, by the Charter, must be observed.
With regard, in particular, to the right to effective judicial
protection, the Court notes that it comprises a number of elements, including
the right of access to a tribunal and the principle of equality of arms.
As regards the right of access to a tribunal, the Court states that the
rule that national courts are bound by a finding of infringement made in a
Commission decision does not mean that the parties do not have access to a
tribunal.
The Court points out, in that regard, that EU law provides for a system
of judicial review of Commission competition decisions which affords all the
safeguards required by the Charter of Fundamental Rights.
The Court also states that, although it is true that national courts
are bound by the Commission’s findings of anti-competitive conduct, the fact
remains that they alone are competent to assess whether there is loss and a
direct causal link between that conduct and the loss sustained.
Even when the Commission has found it necessary to determine the
precise effects of the infringement in its decision, it still falls to the
national court to determine individually the loss caused to each of the persons
to have brought an action for damages.
For those reasons, the Commission is not judge and party in its own
cause.
Finally, with regard to the principle of equality of arms, the Court
recalls that the aim of that principle is to ensure a balance between the
parties to proceedings, thereby guaranteeing that any document submitted to the
court may be examined and challenged by any party to the proceedings.
The Court observes that in the present case the information gathered by
the Commission during the infringement procedure – information which the
companies claim has not been brought to their knowledge – has not been provided
to the national court by the Commission.
In any event, EU law prohibits the Commission from using information
collected in the course of a competition investigation for purposes other than
those of the investigation.
Accordingly, the Court concludes that the Charter does not preclude the
Commission from bringing an action before a national court, on behalf of the EU,
for damages in respect of loss sustained by the EU as a result of an agreement
or practice contrary to EU law.
NOTE:
A reference for a preliminary ruling allows the courts and tribunals of the
Member States, in disputes which have been brought before them, to refer
questions to the Court of Justice about the interpretation of European Union law
or the validity of a European Union act.
The Court of Justice does not decide the dispute itself.
It is for the national court or tribunal to dispose of the case in accordance
with the Court’s decision, which is similarly binding on other national courts
or tribunals before which a similar issue is raised. |