Order of the President of the General Court of 27 September 2023 –
Amazon Services Europe v Commission

(Case T‑367/23 R)

(Interim relief – Digital services – Regulation (EU) 2022/2065 – Very large online platforms – Application for suspension of operation of a measure – Urgency – Prima facie case – Weighing of competing interests)

1.      Interim relief – Suspension of operation of a measure – Interim measures – Conditions for granting – Prima facie case – Urgency – Serious and irreparable damage – Cumulative nature – Balancing of all the interests involved – Order of examination and method of verification – Discretion of the court hearing the application for interim relief

(Arts 278 and 279 TFEU; Rules of Procedure of the General Court, Art. 156(4))

(see paragraphs 20, 22, 23, 80-83)

2.      Interim relief – Suspension of operation of a measure – Interim measures – Conditions for granting – Urgency – Serious and irreparable damage – Burden of proof – Purely hypothetical damage based on the occurrence of future and uncertain events – Insufficient to demonstrate urgency

(Arts 278 and 279 TFEU; Rules of Procedure of the General Court, Art. 156(4))

(see paragraphs 39, 41)

3.      Interim relief – Suspension of operation of a measure – Interim measures – Conditions for granting – Urgency – Serious and irreparable damage – Burden of proof – Financial loss which can be the subject of subsequent financial compensation – Lack of any urgency

(Arts 278 and 279 TFEU; Rules of Procedure of the General Court, Art. 156(4))

(see paragraphs 42-45, 50)

4.      Interim relief – Suspension of operation of a measure – Interim measures – Conditions for granting – Urgency – Serious and irreparable damage – Burden of proof – Need to plead the risk of suffering that damage personally

(Arts 278 and 279 TFEU)

(see paragraphs 52, 53)

5.      Interim relief – Suspension of operation of a measure – Interim measures – Conditions for granting – Serious and irreparable damage – Harm which results from the publication of allegedly confidential information – Irreparable character

(Arts 278 and 279 TFEU; Rules of Procedure of the General Court, Art. 156(4))

(see paragraphs 61, 63, 64, 67, 68)

6.      Interim relief – Suspension of operation of a measure – Conditions for granting – Prima facie case – Prima facie examination of the pleas in law put forward in support of the main action – Action against a Commission decision designating the applicant as a very large online platform within the meaning of Regulation 2022/2065 – Pleas concerning the confidentiality of information disclosed pursuant to that regulation – Pleas not prima facie unfounded

(Arts 278 and 279 TFEU; Rules of Procedure of the General Court, Art. 157(2); European Parliament and Council Regulation 2022/2065, Arts 33(4), 38 and 39(1))

(see paragraphs 70, 75-79)

Operative part

1. Operation of the decision of the European Commission of 25 April 2023, with reference C(2023) 2746 final, designating Amazon Store as a very large online platform in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2022/2065 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 October 2022 on a Single Market For Digital Services and amending Directive 2000/31/EC (Digital Services Act), is suspended in so far as, by virtue of that decision, Amazon Store will be required to make an advertisement repository publicly available, in accordance with Article 39 of that regulation, without prejudice to the requirement for the applicant to compile the advertisement repository.

2. The application for interim measures is dismissed as to the remainder.

3. The costs are reserved.