Language of document :

Request for a preliminary ruling from the Consiglio di Stato (Italy) lodged on 9 November 2018 — Ascopiave SpA and Others v Ministero dello Sviluppo Economico and Others

(Case C-711/18)

Language of the case: Italian

Referring court

Consiglio di Stato

Parties to the main proceedings

Appellants: Ascopiave SpA, Bim Belluno Infrastrutture SpA, Centria Srl, Retipiù Srl, Pasubio Distribuizione Gas Srl — Unipersonale, Pasubio Group SpA, Unigas Distribuzione Srl

Respondents: Ministero dello Sviluppo Economico, Presidenza del Consiglio dei Ministri, Ministero per gli Affari Regionali e le Autonomie

Questions referred

Does EU law and, in particular, the common rules governing the internal market in electrical energy and natural gas and the principles of legal certainty and protection of legitimate expectations allow retroactive application of the criteria for determining the amount of the reimbursements payable to former concession holders, thereby affecting previous contractual relationships, or can such application be justified, also in the light of the principle of proportionality, by the need to protect other public interests of European importance, relating to the necessity of improving protection for competition within the market in question and of affording greater protection to service users, who might indirectly bear the burden of an increase in the sums payable to former concession holders?

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