Judgment of the General Court of 13 March 2018 — Alouminion tis Ellados v Commission
(Case T-542/11 RENV) 1
(State aid — Electricity — Decision declaring the aid unlawful and incompatible with the internal market and ordering its recovery — Preferential electricity tariff granted by a contract entered into with the incumbent supplier — Termination of the contract by the incumbent supplier — Judicial suspension, by way of interim measures, of the effects of termination of the contract — Annulment of the Commission’s decision by the General Court — Judgment of the General Court set aside by the Court of Justice — Referral of the case back to the General Court — Scope of the action after being referred back — Classification of the order granting interim measures as constituting new aid — Competence of the Commission — Effective judicial protection — Classification of the preferential tariff as State aid — Advantage — Legitimate expectations — Rights of defence of the recipient — Obligation to recover — Obligation to state reasons)
Language of the case: Greek
Parties
Applicant: Alouminion tis Ellados VEAE, formerly Alouminion AE (Athens, Greece) (represented by: G. Dellis, N. Korogiannakis, E. Chrysafis, D. Diakopoulos and N. Keramidas, lawyers)
Defendant: European Commission (represented by: A. Bouchagiar and É. Gippini Fournier, acting as Agents)
Intervener in support of the defendant: Dimosia Epicheirisi Ilektrismou AE (DEI) (Athens, Greece) (represented by: E. Bourtzalas, C. Synodinos, A. Oikonomou and H. Tagaras, lawyers)
Re:
Action based on Article 263 TFEU and seeking annulment of Commission Decision 2012/339/EU of 13 July 2011 on State aid SA.26117 — C 2/2010 (ex NN 62/2009) implemented by Greece in favour of Aluminium of Greece SA (OJ 2012 L 166, p. 83).
Operative part of the judgment
The Court:
Dismisses the action;
Orders Alouminion tis Ellados VEAE to bear its own costs and to pay those incurred by the European Commission and by Dimosia Epicheirisi Ilektrismou AE (DEI).
____________
1 OJ C 370, 17.12.2011.