CASE HUB NOTE—appeal lodged before the General Court in Case T- 590/20 ARCHIVED—this case hub reflects the position at the date of the decision of 14 July 2020; it is no longer maintained. See further, timeline and commentary. Case facts Outline European Commission Article 101 TFEU investigation into a cartel concerning purchases on the ethylene merchant market (AT.40410). Latest development On 14 July 2020, the Commission issued its infringement decision after the four companies settled with the Commission and acknowledged their involvement in the cartel. Total fines totalling €260.443m were imposed. Total fines imposed on each company were: • Westlake—no fine (as a result of being awarded immunity)• Orbia—€22,367,000 (including a reduction of 45% for leniency and a reduction of 10% for settling)• Clariant—€155,769,000 (including a reduction of 30% for leniency and a reduction of 10% for settling)• Celanese—€82,307,000 (including a reduction of 20% for leniency and a reduction of 10% for settling) Parties • Westlake Chemical (hereafter, Westlake), a US-based company, is an international manufacturer and supplier of petrochemicals, polymers and building products• Orbia Advance (hereafter, Orbia), a Mexican-based

The European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC) was initially created in 1957 to coordinate the Member States’ research programmes for the peaceful use of nuclear energy. The Euratom Treaty today helps to pool knowledge, infrastructure, and funding of nuclear energy. It ensures the security of atomic energy supply within the framework of a centralised monitoring system. The UK will cease to be a member of the Euratom Community after Brexit (or if applicable the expiry of any transitional arrangements agreed between the UK and the EAEC) following which it will become a Third Country under the Euratom Treaty.

Signed in 1957, the main objective of the Treaty establishing the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom treaty) is to contribute to the formation and development of Europe’s nuclear industry and to ensure security of supply of ores, source materials and special fissile materials within the Euratom Community.

Eurelectric has published a guidebook developed by WSP, for sustainable deployment of grid and renewable projects. The guide establishes 12 key principles for biodiversity and environmental protection and contains real-life case studies and solid steps for developers to follow when siting, planning, building, operating and decommissioning renewables or grid projects. Eurelectric has called on policymakers to urgently implement the 2030 climate package and adopt the pending Nature Restoration Law.

CASE HUB ARCHIVED–this archived case hub reflects the position at the date of the decision of 31 October 2017; it is no longer maintained. See further, timeline. Case facts Outline UK merger investigation into the completed acquisition by Euro Car Parts Limited of assets of the Andrew Page business, a transaction with horizontal overlaps in markets for the supply car parts to independent garages. Latest developments On 4 September 2018, the CMA published its case closure summary, thus formally ending the investigation. Parties Euro Car Parts Ltd (ECP) is a UK-based subsidiary of LKQ Corporation (LKQ). LKQ is a leading provider of alternative and speciality parts to repair and accessorise automobiles and other vehicles, as well as designing, producing and supplying  automotive glass to original equipment manufacturers. It has operations in North America, Europe, China and Taiwan. The Andrew Page business (AP Business) comprises substantially all the business assets from Andrew Page Limited, Solid Auto (UK) Limited and Colton Parts Company Limited, including 102 branch locations, a national distribution centre and the corporate head office. The

CASE HUB (NOTE—appeals lodged before the Court of Justice in Cases C- 806/19 P and C- 883/19 P ARCHIVED–this archived case hub reflects the position at the date of the final decision of 28 June 2021; it is no longer maintained. See further, timeline, commentary and related cases. Case facts Outline European Commission Article 101 TFEU investigation into a cartel in the Euro interest rate derivatives (EIRD) market (Case AT.39914). Latest developments On 28 June 2021, the Commission amended and re-adopted its decisions relating to the euro interest rates derivatives cartel, following the General Court’s judgment of 24 September 2019 which confirmed HSBC’s participation in the cartel but annulled the fine imposed on it on the grounds that the Commission’s decision of 7 December 2016 was insufficiently reasoned in this regard. Parties • Barclays• Deutsche Bank• Société Générale • RBS • Crédit Agricole• HSBC• JPMorgan Chase Market(s) Euro interest rate derivatives (EIRD). Derivatives are contracts that are traded on financial markets. They manage the risk of interest rate fluctuations and act as an insurance against price movements and reduce volatility

CASE HUB NOTE—appeal lodged before the General Court in Case T- 57/24 ARCHIVED–this archived case hub reflects the position at the date of the final decision of 22 November 2023; it is no longer maintained. See further: timeline, commentary and related cases. Case facts Outline European Commission Article 101 TFEU investigation into the exchange of commercially sensitive information and coordination of trading/pricing strategies in the Euro-denominated bonds market (Case AT.40512). Latest development On 22 November 2023, the Commission issued its infringement decision and imposed fines totalling €26.6m on Rabobank. DB cooperated with the Commission under its 2006 Leniency Notice and therefore received full immunity from fines for revealing the existence of the cartel (thereby avoiding a fine of almost €156m). Parties • Deutsche Bank (DB): DB is one of the world's leading financial service providers.• Rabobank: Rabobank is a Dutch multinational banking and financial services company. Market(s) The market for Euro-denominated bondsBonds are debt securities paying a defined rate of interest, which enable entities to raise funds in international financial markets, and which

The European High-Performance Computing Joint Undertaking (EuroHPC JU) has announced the deployment of six European quantum computers in Czechia, Germany, Spain, France, Italy, and Poland. The quantum computers will be integrated on-site into existing supercomputers and are expected to be available by the second half of 2023. The new quantum computers will address the growing demand for quantum computing resources, solve complex problems rapidly and consume less energy.

One of the clearing systems used for European debt securities offerings.

The European Central Bank (ECB) has announced that international central securities depository (ICSD) Euroclear Bank has signed an agreement with the ECB and the central banks of the euro area to join the ECB’s TARGET2-Securities (T2S) settlement system. The ECB says Euroclear Bank’s migration to the T2S platform will take place in stages in order to ensure a smooth transition, enabling Euroclear Bank to start offering its clients settlement services in central bank money.

The Eurogroup has announced that it has agreed to proceed with the reform of the European Stability Mechanism (ESM), to sign the revised Treaty in January 2021 and launch the ratification process. It has also agreed to introduce the common backstop to the Single Resolution Fund (SRF) early, so that it will be in force by the beginning of 2022. The Eurogroup says these decisions are another important step towards completing the banking union.

Eurojust is the EU’s Judicial Cooperation Unit, established by Council Decision of 28 February 2002, to stimulate and improve the coordination of investigations and prosecutions and the cooperation between the authorities'>competent authorities of the Member States in relation to serious cross-border crime such as fraud, drug trafficking and money laundering, terrorism, cybercrime and trafficking in human beings. Eurojust is based in The Hague (Netherlands). Eurojust can cooperate formally with third countries with which it has signed cooperation agreements. Eurojust deals with judicial cooperation among prosecutors and magistrates, whereas Europol deals with police cooperation. For more information about police cooperation, see also ‘Europol’.