Order of the General Court (Fifth Chamber) of 19 February 2013 — Provincie Groningen and Others v Commission

(Joined Cases T‑15/12 and T‑16/12)

Action for annulment — State aid — Subsidy scheme for the acquisition of natural areas for environmental protection — Decision declaring the aid compatible with the internal market — No interest in bringing proceedings — Inadmissibility

1.                     Actions for annulment — Interest in bringing proceedings — Need for an actual and current interest — Assessment at the time the action brought — Interest relating to future and uncertain situations — Not included (Arts 107 TFEU, 108 TFEU and 263 TFEU) (see paras 30, 31, 53)

2.                     Actions for annulment — Actionable measures — Measures producing binding legal effects — Commission decision declaring aid compatible with the common market — Decision not in principle adversely affecting the applicant — Obligation on the General Court to examine the possible binding legal effects of the Commission’s assessment — Plea concerning certain qualifications in the grounds of the decision — No legally binding position taken in the operative part in that regard — Inadmissibility (Arts 107 TFEU, 108 TFEU and 263 TFEU) (see paras 32, 33, 36-38)

3.                     Actions for annulment — Interest in bringing proceedings — Action against a Commission decision declaring aid compatible with the common market — Action brought by the authorities responsible for awarding subsidies and the beneficiary undertakings — Commission decision not adversely affecting the applicants — No binding legal effects capable of affecting the interests of those applicants — Interest relating to future and uncertain situations — No interest in bringing proceedings — Inadmissibility (Arts 107(1) and (3) TFEU, 108(3) TFEU and 263 TFEU; Council Regulation No 659/1999, Arts 17 to 19 and 21) (see paras 41-56)

Re:

APPLICATION for the annulment of Commission decision C(2011) 4945 final of 13 July 2011 concerning the State aid granted by the Netherlands in the form of subsidies applicable to the acquisition of land for environmental protection (N 308/2010 — Netherlands).

Operative part

1. The actions are dismissed as inadmissible.

2. There is no need to adjudicate on the applications for leave to intervene by Landgoed Den Alerdinck II, Vereniging Gelijkberechtiging Grondbezitters, Landgoed Welna and Heerlijkheid Mariënwaerdt.

3. Provincie Groningen, Provincie Friesland, Provincie Drenthe, Provincie Overijssel, Provincie Gelderland, Provincie Flevoland, Provincie Utrecht, Provincie Noord-Holland, Provincie Zuid-Holland, Provincie Zeeland, Provincie Noord-Brabant, Provincie Limburg, Stichting Het Groninger Landschap, It Fryske Gea, Stichting Het Drentse Landschap, Stichting Landschap Overijssel, Stichting Het Geldersch Landschap, Stichting Flevo-landschap, Stichting Het Utrechts Landschap, Stichting Landschap Noord-Holland, Stichting Het Zuid-Hollands Landschap, Stichting Het Zeeuwse Landschap, Stichting Het Noordbrabants Landschap, Stichting Het Limburgs Landschap and Vereniging tot behoud van Natuurmonumenten in Nederland are ordered to bear their own costs and pay those incurred by the European Commission.

4. The Federal Republic of Germany and the Kingdom of the Netherlands are ordered to bear their own costs.

5. Landgoed Den Alerdinck II, Vereniging Gelijkberechtiging Grondbezitters, Landgoed Welna and Heerlijkheid Mariënwaerdt, applicants for leave to intervene, are ordered to bear their own costs.