Order of the General Court (First Chamber) of 15 March 2018 — Polskie Górnictwo Naftowe i Gazownictwo v Commission

(Case T‑130/17)

(Action for annulment — Internal market in natural gas — Directive 2009/73/EC — Commission decision amending the conditions for exemption from the EU requirements of the rules governing operation of the OPAL pipeline in regard to third-party access and tariff regulation — Lack of direct concern — Inadmissibility)

1.      Actions for annulment — Natural or legal persons — Measures of direct and individual concern to them — Whether directly concerned — Criteria — Commission decision amending the conditions for exemption from the EU requirements of the rules governing operation of a pipeline — Action of a company competing with the company to which the decision is addressed — Not directly concerned — Inadmissibility

(Art. 263, fourth para. TFEU; European Parliament and Council Directive 2009/73, Art. 36)

(see paras 26-28)

2.      Actions for annulment — Natural or legal persons — Measures of direct and individual concern to them — Possibility of being individually concerned by a general decision — Conditions — Commission decision amending the conditions for exemption from the EU requirements of the rules governing operation of a pipeline — Action of a company competing with the company to which the decision is addressed — Not individually concerned — Inadmissibility

(Art. 263, fourth para. TFEU; European Parliament and Council Directive 2009/73, Art. 36)

(see paras 32-35, 37-39, 41)

3.      Actions for annulment — Natural or legal persons — Meaning of ‘regulatory act’ in Article 263, fourth paragraph, TFEU — Any act of general scope other than legislative acts — Commission decision amending the conditions for exemption from the EU requirements of the rules governing operation of a pipeline — Not included

(Art. 263, fourth para. TFEU; European Parliament and Council Directive 2009/73, Art. 36)

(see paras 44, 45, 48)

4.      Actions for annulment — Natural or legal persons — Regulatory acts — Acts not comprising implementing measures and concerning the applicant directly — Act not in itself altering the applicant’s situation — Inadmissibility

(Art. 263, fourth para. TFEU)

(see para. 49)

Re:

Action based on Article 263 TFEU and seeking annulment of Commission Decision C(2016) 6950 final of 28 October 2016 on the review of the conditions for exemption of the OPAL pipeline, granted under Directive 2003/55/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 June 2003 concerning common rules for the internal market in natural gas and repealing Directive 98/30/EC (OJ 2003 L 176, p. 57), from the rules on third-party access and tariff regulation.

Operative part

1. The action is dismissed as inadmissible.

2. There is no longer any need to adjudicate on the applications for leave to intervene.

3. Polskie Górnictwo Naftowe i Gazownictwo S.A. shall bear its own costs and pay those incurred by the European Commission, including the costs relating to the interlocutory proceedings.

4. The Federal Republic of Germany shall bear its own costs relating to the interlocutory proceedings.

5. Polskie Górnictwo Naftowe i Gazownictwo, the Commission, the Federal Republic of Germany, the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union, OPAL Gastransport GmbH & Co. KG and Gazprom Eksport LLC shall each bear their own respective costs relating to the applications for leave to intervene.