The EU Court of Justice annuls a decision of the Commission requesting information on the ground that the decision did not sufficiently explain why the information requested was necessary (Italmobiliare, Schwenk Zement, HeidelbergCement and Buzzi Unicem)

Introduction On 10 March 2016, the European Court of Justice issued a landmark ruling annulling European Commission decisions requesting information from cement manufacturers, on the ground that the decisions did not sufficiently explain why the information requested was necessary [1]. This judgment follows a recent judgment by the EU courts placing limits on the Commission’s power of inspections. Facts Following inspections carried out in October 2008 at the premises of several cement manufacturers, the Commission opened formal proceedings in December 2010 against a number of cement manufacturers, suspecting possible import/export restrictions, market sharing and price coordination in the markets for cement and related products [2].