Equal treatment: The General Court of the European Union reduces the amount of the fine imposed on companies involved in a cartel on the ground that the Commission infringed the principles of equal treatment and proportionality as well as Article 23(3) of Regulation No 1/2003 (Esso)

*This article is an automatic translation of the original article, provided here for your convenience. Read the original article. Base oils, of which slack wax is one of the by-products, are produced from crude oil and are used in the manufacture of paraffin waxes. Paraffin wax is also sold as such to end customers, such as particleboard producers. The markets for slack wax and paraffin waxes have been investigated by the European Commission, following an application for immunity from fines by Shell Deutschland Schmierstoff GmbH. By Decision C(2008) 5476 final of 1 October 2008In its Decision of 17 May 2001 relating to a proceeding under Article 81 [EC] and Article 53 of the EEA Agreement (Case COMP/39.181 - Candle Waxes, hereinafter 'the contested decision'), the Commission sanctioned