Action brought on 29 February 2024 – Germany v Commission

(Case T-132/24)

Language of the case: German

Parties

Applicant: Federal Republic of Germany (represented by: J. Möller and R. Kanitz)

Defendant: European Commission

Form of order sought

The applicant claims that the Court should:

annul the Decision of the European Commission of 19 December 2023 concerning State Aid SA.103196 (2023/N) – Germany – Amendment to aid schemes SA.42393 (2016/C) – Reduced CHP ¹ surcharge for energy intensive users und State Aid SA.49416 (2017/N) – Reduced offshore surcharge for electro-intensive undertakings, in so far as it finds that the reduction of

a) the KWKG ¹ surcharge,

b) the offshore surcharge

granted to electro-intensive undertakings under the Energiefinanzierungsgesetz (Law on energy financing) constitutes state aid; and

order the defendant to pay the costs.

Pleas in law and main arguments

In support of its action, the applicant relies on a single plea in law. The applicant submits that the European Commission erred in law in its interpretation and application of Article 107(1) TFEU in so far as it found that the undertakings affected by the notified measure received aid granted by a Member State or through State resources. The reductions of the KWKG surcharge and the offshore surcharge for electro-intensive undertakings under the EnFG ¹ do not constitute a compulsory surcharge within the meaning of the case-law of the Court of Justice. Furthermore, the funds collected by network operators do not constantly remain under public control and are therefore not available to the state.

____________

¹ Combined heat and power.

¹ Gesetz für die Erhaltung, die Modernisierung und den Ausbau der Kraft-Wärme-Kopplung (Kraft-Wärme-Kopplungsgesetz – KWKG 2023) (Law on the maintenance, modernisation and expansion of combined heat and power generation – KWKG 2023) of 21 December 2015 (BGBl. I p. 2498), last amended by Paragraph 9 of the Law of 20 December 2022 (BGBl. I p. 2512).

¹ Gesetz zur Finanzierung der Energiewende im Stromsektor durch Zahlungen des Bundes und Erhebung von Umlagen (Energiefinanzierungsgesetz – EnFG) (Law on the financing of the energy transition in the electricity sector through Federal payments and the levying of surcharges, Law on energy financing, ʻEnFGʼ) of 20 July 2022 (BGBl. I p. 1237, 1272), last amended by Paragraph 5 of the Law of 26 July 2023 (BGBl. 2023 I Nr. 202).