Judgment of the General Court of 9 December 2015 — Greece and Ellinikos Chrysos v Commission

(Cases T-233/11 and T-262/11) ¹

(State aid — Mining sector — Aid granted by the Greek authorities to the mining company Ellinikos Chrysos — Contract for the transfer of a mining operation at a price below the real market value and exemption from taxes on that transaction — Decision declaring the aid measures unlawful and ordering recovery of the aid — Concept of advantage — Private investor test)

Languages of the case: Greek and English

Parties

Applicant: Hellenic Republic (represented by: P. Mylonopoulos, V. Asimakopoulos, G. Kanellopoulos and A. Iosifidou, acting as Agents) (Case T-233/11); and Ellinikos Chrysos AE Metalleion kai Viomichanias Chrysou (Kifissia, Greece) (represented initially by K. Adamantopoulos, E. Petritsi, E. Trova and P. Skouris, and subsequently by K. Adamantopoulos, E. Trova, P. Skouris and E. Roussou, lawyers) (Case T-262/11)

Defendant: European Commission (represented by: É. Gippini Fournier and D. Triantafyllou, acting as Agents)

Re:

Action for annulment of Commission Decision 2011/452/EU of 23 February 2011 on the State aid C 48/08 (ex NN 61/08) implemented by Greece in favour of Ellinikos Chrysos AE (OJ 2011 L 193, p. 27).

Operative part of the judgment

The Court:

Joins Cases T-233/11 and T-262/11 for the purposes of the judgment;

Dismisses the actions;

In Case T-233/11, orders the Hellenic Republic to bear its own costs and to pay those incurred by the European Commission;

In Case T-262/11, orders Ellinikos Chrysos AE Metalleion kai Viomichanias Chrysou to bear its own costs and to pay those incurred by the Commission.

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¹ OJ C 204, 9.7.2011.