51Nevertheless, given the specific features of the cartel at issue, which is characterised by its multilateral contacts, generally at a pan-European level, by its bilateral contacts, generally at a national or regional level, which took place at least once or twice a year, and by ad hoc contacts, the period between the final contact and the date on which the cartel ceased is too short for the Commission to have been able to conclude that Pegler had, by that stage, withdrawn from the cartel.