The Court ruled in Case C 308/19, a request for a preliminary ruling filed by the High Court of Cassation and Justice in Romania in the proceedings between the Consiliul Concurenţei and Whiteland Import Export SRL.
The Court ruled that Art. 25 of Regulation (EC) No 1/2003, which provides for a limitation period for the imposition of penalties on undertakings responsible for anti-competitive practices, refers only to the powers of the European Commission.
The Court also ruled that the interruption of the national limitation period is governed by Member States. In the light of the effectiveness principle, national limitation rules are precluded from interrupting that period where it becomes apparent that such an exclusion presents a systemic risk of impunity for the acts constituting the offences.
