Memo: Antitrust: Commission welcomes Court judgments in Italian raw tobacco cartel

The European Commission welcomes the judgments by the General Court (Cases T-12/06 Deltafina and T-25/06 Alliance One) which uphold a decision of 2005 fining Italian tobacco processors (including Deltafina and Alliance One and its subsidiaries) for operating a buying cartel in the Italian raw tobacco market. The Deltafina judgment is very important because it confirms the Commission's policy of granting immunity to a cartel participant only if its cooperation is "full, continuous and expeditious" as stated in the Leniency Notice on immunity or reductions from fines.