Order of the General Court 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)
Language of the case: Dutch
Parties
Applicants: Provincie Groningen (Netherlands) and the eleven other applicants whose names are mentioned in the annex to the order (represented by: P. Kuypers and N. van Nuland, lawyers) (Case T-15/12); Stichting Het Groninger Landschap (Haren, Netherlands) and the twelve other applicants whose names are mentioned in the annex to the order (represented by: P. Kuypers and N. van Nuland) (Case T-16/12)
Defendant: European Commission (represented by: H. van Vliet and P.J. Loewenthal, Agents)
Interveners in support of the applicants: Federal Republic of Germany (represented by: T. Henze, K. Petersen and A. Wiedmann, Agents); and the Kingdom of the Netherlands (represented by: C. Wissels, J. Langer and M. Bulterman, Agents)
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 of the order
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 shall bear their own costs and pay those incurred by the European Commission.
4. The Federal Republic of Germany and the Kingdom of the Netherlands shall bear their own costs.
5. Landgoed Den Alerdinck II, Vereniging Gelijkberechtiging Grondbezitters, Landgoed Welna and Heerlijkheid Mariënwaerdt, applicants for leave to intervene, shall bear their own costs.
____________1 - OJ C 109, 14.4.2012.