Action brought on 5 June 2007 - BOT Elektrownia Bełchatów and Others v Commission

(Case T-208/07)

Language of the case: English

Parties

Applicants: BOT Elektrownia Bełchatów S.A. (Rogowiec, Poland), BOT Elektrownia Turów S.A. (Bogatynia, Poland), BOT Elektrownia Opole S.A. (Brzezie, Poland), Elektrownia 'Kozienice' S.A. (Świerże Górne, Poland), Elektrownia Połaniec S.A. - Grupa Electrabel Polska (Połaniec, Poland), Elektrownia 'Rybnik' S.A. (Rybnik, Poland), Elektrownia Skawina S.A. (Skawina, Poland), Elektrownia 'Stalowa Wola' S.A. (Stalowa Wola, Poland), Południowy Koncern Energetyczny S.A. (Katowice, Poland), Zespół Elektrowni Dolna Odra S.A. (Nowe Czarnowo, Poland), Zespół Elektrowni Ostrołęka S.A. (Ostrołęka, Poland) and Zespół Elektrowni Pątnów-Adamów-Konin S.A. (Konin, Poland) (represented by: B. Krużewski, M. Ciemiński, J. Młot-Schönthaler, N. Dodoo and S. Boullart, lawyers)

Defendant: Commission of the European Communities

Form of order sought

Annul the decision;

order the Commission to bear the costs.

Pleas in law and main arguments

The applicants seek the annulment of the Commission's decision of 26 March 2007 concerning the national allocation plan for the allocation of greenhouse gas emission allowances for the period 2008-2012 notified by Poland in accordance with Directive 2003/87/EC¹.

In support of their application the applicants allege that the Commission erred by adopting a decision substantially reducing, inter alia, the total quantity of CO2 emission allowances that installations covered by Directive 2003/87/EC can emit.

The applicants submit in this regard that the Commission breached essential procedural requirements laid down in Directive 2003/87/EC in that it i) unlawfully adopted the contested decision after the expiry of the three-month period laid down in Article 9(3) of the directive, and ii) unlawfully restricted the applicants' right to be consulted prior to Poland's adoption of a definitive national allocation plan for greenhouse gas emission allowances for the period 2008-2012.

The applicants furthermore claim that the Commission misused the powers conferred upon it under Directive 2003/87/EC in that it i) adopted too low a GDP growth rate for Poland and too stringent an emission reduction ratio, which resulted in the allocation of an underestimated total emission quota for Poland; and ii) distorted the real purpose of the directive as a cost-effective instrument for the fulfilment of the greenhouse gas emission commitments of the parties to the Kyoto Protocol by reducing the national emission level for 2008-2012 far below what was needed for Poland to fulfil its Kyoto objective.

Finally, the applicants contend that the Commission disregarded the principles of legitimate expectations, proportionality, equal treatment and the duty for institutional cooperation as well as its obligation to state reasons.

____________

¹ - Directive 2003/87/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 October 2003 establishing a scheme for greenhouse gas emission allowance trading within the Community and amending Council Directive 96/61/EC (OJ 2003 L 275, p. 32).