Case T‑177/10

Alcoa Trasformazioni Srl

v

European Commission

(State aid — Electricity — Preferential tariff — Decision declaring aid incompatible with the common market and ordering its recovery — Advantage — Obligation to state reasons — Amount of the aid — New aid)

Summary — Judgment of the General Court (Eighth Chamber), 16 October 2014

1.      Actions for annulment — Grounds — Lack of or inadequate statement of reasons — Separate ground from the one concerning substantive legality

(Arts 230 EC and 253 EC)

2.      Acts of the institutions — Statement of reasons — Obligation — Scope — Commission decision on State aid

(Arts 87(1) EC and 253 EC)

3.      State aid — Recovery of unlawful aid — Aid granted in breach of the procedural rules under Article 88 EC — Legitimate expectations entertained by the recipients — None save in exceptional circumstances

(Arts 87(1) EC and 88 EC)

4.      State aid — Concept — Granting of an advantage to beneficiaries — Criteria for assessment — Non-application of criteria laid down in an earlier decision — Economic and legal changes since the adoption of the earlier decision

(Art. 87(1) EC)

5.      State aid — Recovery of unlawful aid — Calculation of the amount of aid to be recovered — Method indicated by the Commission

(Art. 88(2) EC)

6.      State aid — Prohibition — Exceptions — Aid eligible for the derogation provided for by Article 87(3)(c) EC — Operating aid — Not included

(Art. 87(3)(c) EC; Commission Notice 98/C 74/06)

7.      EU law — Principles — Principle of sound administration — Duty of diligence — Administrative procedure

1.      See the text of the decision.

(see paras 43, 46)

2.      See the text of the decision.

(see paras 47-55)

3.      See the text of the decision.

(see paras 60, 61, 72)

4.      See the text of the decision.

(see paras 81-84)

5.      In the field of State aid, no provision of EU law requires the Commission, when ordering the recovery of aid declared incompatible with the common market, to fix the exact amount of the aid to be recovered. It is sufficient for the Commission’s decision to include information enabling the Member State to determine the amount, without too much difficulty. Those requirements are met where, without specifying the exact amount of the aid to be recovered, the decision sets out the method by which that amount should be calculated.

(see paras 88, 89)

6.      See the text of the decision.

(see paras 92-98)

7.      See the text of the decision.

(see para. 101)