Judgment of the General Court (Fifth Chamber) of 27 September 2012

Italian Republic v European Commission

State aid — Undertaking with subsidiaries in certain non-member countries — Reduced rate loans — Decision declaring aid incompatible in part with the internal market and ordering it to be repaid — Decision taken following the annulment by the General Court of the initial decision concerning the same procedure — Force of res judicata — Duty to state reasons

Case T‑257/10



Top of the page Documents in the Case
Top of the page Legal analysis of the decision or of the case

Reports of Cases

published in the electronic Reports of Cases (Court Reports - general - 'Information on unpublished decisions' section)

Subject-matter

Annulment of Commission Decision C (2010) 1711 final of 24 March 2010, adopted following the annulment by the General Court of the initial decision declaring that part of the subsidies granted by Italy to WAM SpA under Law No 394 of 24 July 1981 in the form of loans at reduced rates of interest, designed to enable the undertaking to penetrate certain third countries on a sustainable basis, constituted State aid incompatible with the common market.

Systematic classification scheme

1.
4 Internal policy of the European Union
  4.09 State aid
    4.09.04 Procedure for reviewing aid
      4.09.04.02 Notification and obligation to suspend payment of the aid
3 Legal proceedings
  3.08 Procedural rules
    3.08.04 Subject-matter, form of order sought and pleas in law
      3.08.04.01 Formal requirements
1 The legal order of the European Union
  1.01 Sources of EU law
    1.01.02 General principles of law
      1.01.02.03 Principle of the protection of legitimate expectations
4 Internal policy of the European Union
  4.09 State aid
    4.09.04 Procedure for reviewing aid
      4.09.04.08 Implementation of the Commission decision and recovery
        4.09.04.08.00 General
4 Internal policy of the European Union
  4.09 State aid
    4.09.04 Procedure for reviewing aid
      4.09.04.08 Implementation of the Commission decision and recovery
        4.09.04.08.02 Beneficiaries of the aid to be recovered
4 Internal policy of the European Union
  4.09 State aid
    4.09.04 Procedure for reviewing aid
      4.09.04.04 Preliminary review
1 The legal order of the European Union
  1.04 Fundamental rights
    1.04.03 The fundamental rights
      1.04.03.50 Ne bis in idem
4 Internal policy of the European Union
  4.09 State aid
    4.09.04 Procedure for reviewing aid
      4.09.04.07 Commission decision following the formal investigation procedure
        4.09.04.07.01 Statement of reasons for the decision following the formal investigation procedure
4 Internal policy of the European Union
  4.09 State aid
    4.09.04 Procedure for reviewing aid
      4.09.04.08 Implementation of the Commission decision and recovery
        4.09.04.08.00 General
3 Legal proceedings
  3.02 Actions for annulment
    3.02.06 Effects of a declaration that a measure is void
4 Internal policy of the European Union
  4.09 State aid
    4.09.04 Procedure for reviewing aid
      4.09.04.07 Commission decision following the formal investigation procedure
        4.09.04.07.01 Statement of reasons for the decision following the formal investigation procedure
3 Legal proceedings
  3.02 Actions for annulment
    3.02.04 Pleas in law
      3.02.04.04 Infringement of essential procedural requirements
1 The legal order of the European Union
  1.01 Sources of EU law
    1.01.02 General principles of law
      1.01.02.05 Rights of the defence and procedural guarantees
4 Internal policy of the European Union
  4.09 State aid
    4.09.04 Procedure for reviewing aid
      4.09.04.06 Formal investigation procedure
4 Internal policy of the European Union
  4.09 State aid
    4.09.02 Damage to competition and effect on trade
4 Internal policy of the European Union
  4.09 State aid
    4.09.04 Procedure for reviewing aid
      4.09.04.07 Commission decision following the formal investigation procedure
        4.09.04.07.01 Statement of reasons for the decision following the formal investigation procedure
4 Internal policy of the European Union
  4.09 State aid
    4.09.02 Damage to competition and effect on trade
3 Legal proceedings
  3.02 Actions for annulment
    3.02.06 Effects of a declaration that a measure is void
3 Legal proceedings
  3.08 Procedural rules
    3.08.08 Judgments and orders
      3.08.08.02 Res judicata
4 Internal policy of the European Union
  4.09 State aid
    4.09.03 Exceptions to the prohibition of aid
      4.09.03.02 Aid that may be considered to be compatible with the internal market (Article 107(3) TFEU)
        4.09.03.02.01 De minimis aid
4 Internal policy of the European Union
  4.09 State aid
    4.09.03 Exceptions to the prohibition of aid
      4.09.03.02 Aid that may be considered to be compatible with the internal market (Article 107(3) TFEU)
        4.09.03.02.01 De minimis aid
4 Internal policy of the European Union
  4.09 State aid
    4.09.04 Procedure for reviewing aid
      4.09.04.06 Formal investigation procedure
4 Internal policy of the European Union
  4.09 State aid
    4.09.04 Procedure for reviewing aid
      4.09.04.08 Implementation of the Commission decision and recovery
        4.09.04.08.03 Amount of aid to be recovered


Citations of case-law or legislation

References in grounds of judgment

Operative part

Opinion

Information not available


Dates

Date of the lodging of the application initiating proceedings

  • 04/06/2010

Date of the Opinion

Information not available

Date of the hearing

Information not available

Date of delivery

27/09/2012


References

Publication in the Official Journal

Application: OJ C 221 from 14.08.2010, p.50

Judgment: OJ C 355 from 17.11.2012, p.24

Name of the parties

Italy v Commission

Notes on Academic Writings

  1. Idot, Laurence: Reprise d'une décision annulée pour défaut de motivation, Europe 2012 Novembre Comm. nº 11 p.41-42 (FR)
  2. Muguet-Poullennec, Gwenaël: Contrôle de l'exécution d'un arrêt du Tribunal, Revue Lamy de la Concurrence : droit, économie, régulation 2013 nº 34 p.48-49 (FR)
  3. Van der Hout, Robin: Export Aid May Also Distort the Internal Market - State Aid Control Internationalised?, European State Aid Law Quarterly 2013 p.710-717 (EN)



Procedural Analysis Information

Source of the question referred for a preliminary ruling

Information not available

Subject-matter

  • Competition
  • - State aid

Provisions of national law referred to

Information not available

Provisions of international law referred to

Information not available

Procedure and result

  • Actions for annulment : dismissal on substantive grounds

Formation of the Court

cinquième chambre (Tribunal)

Judge-Rapporteur

Papasavvas

Advocate General

Information not available

Language(s) of the Case

  • Italian

Language(s) of the Opinion

    Information not available