Judgment of the General Court of 20 March 2019 — Hércules Club de Fútbol v Commission
(Case T-766/16) 1
(State aid — Aid granted by Spain to certain professional football clubs — Guarantee — Decision declaring the aid incompatible with the internal market — Advantage — Obligation to state reasons)
Language of the case: Spanish
Parties
Applicant: Hércules Club de Fútbol, SAD (Alicante, Spain) (represented by: S. Rating and Y. Martínez Mata, lawyers)
Defendant: European Commission (represented by: G. Luengo, B. Stromsky and P. Němečková, Agents)
Intervener in support of the applicant: Kingdom of Spain (represented by: initially A. Gavela Llopis and M.J. García-Valdecasas Dorrego, subsequently by M.J. García-Valdecasas Dorrego, Agents)
Re:
Action under Article 263 TFEU seeking annulment of Commission Decision (EU) 2017/365 of 4 July 2016 on the State aid SA.36387 (2013/C) (ex 2013/NN) (ex 2013/CP) implemented by Spain for Valencia Club de Fútbol, SAD, Hércules Club de Fútbol, SAD and Elche Club de Fútbol, SAD (OJ 2017 L 55, p. 12).
Operative part of the judgment
The Court:
Annuls Commission Decision (EU) 2017/365 of 4 July 2016 on the State aid SA.36387 (2013/C) (ex 2013/NN) (ex 2013/CP) implemented by Spain for Valencia Club de Fútbol, SAD, Hércules Club de Fútbol, SAD and Elche Club de Fútbol, SAD, in so far as it concerns Hércules Club de Fútbol, SAD;
Orders the European Commission to bear its own costs and to pay those incurred by Hércules Club de Fútbol;
Orders the Kingdom of Spain to bear its own costs.
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1 OJ C 6, 9.1.2017.