76/353/EEC: Commission Decision of 17 December 1975 relating to a procedure under Article 86 of the EEC Treaty (IV/26699 - Chiquita) (Only the English text is authentic)
It is hereby declared that United Brands Company has infringed Article 86 of the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community: (a) by requiring its distributor/ripeners in the Belgo-Luxembourg Economic Union, Denmark, Germany, Ireland and the Netherlands to refrain from reselling its bananas while still green;
(b) by, in respect of its sales of Chiquita bananas, charging other trading parties, namely distributor/ripeners other than the Scipio Group in the Member States referred to above, dissimilar prices for equivalent transactions;
(c) by imposing unfair prices for the sale of Chiquita bananas on its customers in the Belgo-Luxembourg Economic Union, Denmark, the Netherlands and Germany (other than the Scipio Group);
(d) by refusing from 10 October 1973 to 11 February 1975 to supply Chiquita bananas to Th. Olesen A/S, Valby, Copenhagen, Denmark.
A fine of one million units of account is imposed on United Brands Company in respect of the infringements of Article 86 of the Treaty referred to in Article 1 hereof.
(a) United Brands Company shall bring to an end without delay the infringements referred to in Article 1 hereof, unless it has already done so of its own accord.
(b) United Brands Company shall (i) inform all its distributor/ripeners in the Belgo-Luxembourg Economic Union, Denmark, Germany, Ireland and the Netherlands that it has ceased to apply the prohibition on the resale of green bananas and inform the Commission that it has done so by not later than 1 February 1976;
(ii) inform the Commission by 20 April 1976 and thereafter twice yearly not later than 20 January and 20 July for a period of two years of the prices charged during the previous six months to customers in the Belgo-Luxembourg Economic Union, Denmark, Germany, Ireland and the Netherlands.
In respect of each obligation set out in Article 3 (b) hereof a periodic penalty payment of 1 000 units of account per day shall be payable in respect of each day of delay from the dates stated therein.
This Decision shall be enforceable in accordance with the provisions of Article 192 of the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community.
This Decision is addressed to United Brands Company, New York, United States of America, and to its representative United Brands Continentaal BV, Van Vollenhovenstraat 32, Rotterdam 3002, the Netherlands, which shall be notified thereof.
Done at Brussels, 17 December 1975.
For the Commission
A. BORSCHETTE
Member of the Commission
Source: EUR-Lex (Publications Office of the EU), © European Union, reuse permitted under Commission Decision 2011/833/EU.
