The Luxembourg-based General Court upheld a 2007 decision by the European Commission that MasterCard's cross-border multilateral interchange fee (MIF) levied on retailers' credit and debit card transactions breached EU antitrust rules and had to be changed.

"It is our intention to appeal as soon as we've analysed the more than 60-page judgment," MasterCard President Javier Perez said in a statement on Thursday. "We will likely continue to discuss with the Commission what would be the best way forward."

For the time being, MasterCard will continue to apply reduced cross-border fees imposed since 2009 in a bid to avoid penalty payments for not complying with the 2007 decision, Perez said.

(Reporting by Foo Yun Chee, writing by Charlie Dunmore; editing by Rex Merrifield)

Stocks treated in this article : Mastercard Inc, Visa Inc.