COMPETITION : COURT REDUCES FINES IN CARBONLESS PAPER CARTEL CASE.

On 25 April, the EU Court of Justice gave its judgement in a series of appeal cases concerning the carbonless paper cartel (see Case T-109/02). The Court dismissed arguments for annulment of the European Commission's decision and upheld in total all but two of the fines. The fine of UK's Arjo Wiggins Appleton was reduced from 184.2 million to 141.75 million. Spanish company Papelera Guipuzcoana de Zicunaga saw its fine reduced from 1.54 million to 1.309 million.

In 2001, the Commission fined ten companies a total of 313.7 million for a cartel in carbonless paper - self-copying paper for the multiple duplication of documents. The cartel members fixed prices and shared markets from 1992 to 1995 across the whole of Europe. Arjo Wiggins was fined the most as it was Europe's largest manufacturer of such paper at the time and was also the instigator of the cartel.

Substance: All ten companies brought appeals before the EU courts seeking annulment of the decision or reduction of fines and judgement was given jointly. The...