The EU Court of First Instance states that providing access to the file enables the addressee of a statement of objections to examine evidence in the Commission’s file to effectively express its views (Imperial Chemical Industries)

Case T-37/91 Imperial Chemical Industries pic v Commission of the European Communities* 1. The purpose of providing access to the file in competition cases is to enable the addressee of a statement of objections to examine evidence in the Commission's file so that on the basis of that evidence it may effectively express its views on the conclusions reached by the Commission in its statement of objections. That access is one of the procedural safeguards intended to protect the rights of the defence, which is a general principle, the proper