Judgment of the Court (Grand Chamber) of 22 September 2020

Republic of Austria v European Commission

Appeal – State aid – Article 107(3)(c) TFEU – Articles 11 and 194 TFEU – Article 1, Article 2(c) and Article 106a(3) of the Euratom Treaty – Planned aid for Hinkley Point C nuclear power station (United Kingdom) – Decision declaring the aid compatible with the internal market – Objective of common interest – Environmental objectives of the European Union – Principle of protection of the environment, ‘polluter pays’ principle, precautionary principle and principle of sustainability – Determination of the economic activity concerned – Market failure – Proportionality of the aid – Operating or investment aid – Determination of the aid elements – Guarantee Notice

Case C-594/18 P



Top of the page Documents in the Case
Document Date Name of the parties Subject-matter Curia EUR-Lex Autres Liens
Order
ECLI:EU:C:2020:891
30/10/2020 Austria v Commission
Judgment (OJ)
30/10/2020 Austria v Commission
Judgment
ECLI:EU:C:2020:742
22/09/2020 Austria v Commission
Abstract
ECLI:EU:C:2020:742
22/09/2020 Austria v Commission
Application (OJ)
09/11/2018 Austria v Commission
Opinion
ECLI:EU:C:2020:352
07/05/2020 Austria v Commission
Top of the page Legal analysis of the decision or of the case

Reports of Cases

not yet published (Court Reports - general)

Subject-matter

Information not available

Systematic classification scheme

1.
4 Internal policy of the European Union
  4.09 State aid
    4.09.03 Exceptions to the prohibition of aid
      4.09.03.02 Aid that may be considered to be compatible with the internal market (Article 107(3) TFEU)
        4.09.03.02.06 Aid to undertakings operating in particular sectors
          4.09.03.02.06.00 General
4 Internal policy of the European Union
  4.09 State aid
    4.09.03 Exceptions to the prohibition of aid
      4.09.03.02 Aid that may be considered to be compatible with the internal market (Article 107(3) TFEU)
        4.09.03.02.00 General
4 Internal policy of the European Union
  4.09 State aid
    4.09.00 General
4 Internal policy of the European Union
  4.09 State aid
    4.09.03 Exceptions to the prohibition of aid
      4.09.03.02 Aid that may be considered to be compatible with the internal market (Article 107(3) TFEU)
        4.09.03.02.06 Aid to undertakings operating in particular sectors
          4.09.03.02.06.00 General
4 Internal policy of the European Union
  4.09 State aid
    4.09.03 Exceptions to the prohibition of aid
      4.09.03.02 Aid that may be considered to be compatible with the internal market (Article 107(3) TFEU)
        4.09.03.02.06 Aid to undertakings operating in particular sectors
          4.09.03.02.06.00 General
4 Internal policy of the European Union
  4.09 State aid
    4.09.03 Exceptions to the prohibition of aid
      4.09.03.02 Aid that may be considered to be compatible with the internal market (Article 107(3) TFEU)
        4.09.03.02.06 Aid to undertakings operating in particular sectors
          4.09.03.02.06.00 General
4 Internal policy of the European Union
  4.09 State aid
    4.09.03 Exceptions to the prohibition of aid
      4.09.03.02 Aid that may be considered to be compatible with the internal market (Article 107(3) TFEU)
        4.09.03.02.06 Aid to undertakings operating in particular sectors
          4.09.03.02.06.00 General
4 Internal policy of the European Union
  4.09 State aid
    4.09.03 Exceptions to the prohibition of aid
      4.09.03.02 Aid that may be considered to be compatible with the internal market (Article 107(3) TFEU)
        4.09.03.02.06 Aid to undertakings operating in particular sectors
          4.09.03.02.06.00 General
4 Internal policy of the European Union
  4.09 State aid
    4.09.03 Exceptions to the prohibition of aid
      4.09.03.02 Aid that may be considered to be compatible with the internal market (Article 107(3) TFEU)
        4.09.03.02.06 Aid to undertakings operating in particular sectors
          4.09.03.02.06.00 General


Citations of case-law or legislation

References in grounds of judgment

Operative part

Opinion


Dates

Date of the lodging of the application initiating proceedings

  • 21/09/2018

Date of the Opinion

  • 07/05/2020

Date of the hearing

Information not available

Date of delivery

22/09/2020


References

Publication in the Official Journal

Information not available

Name of the parties

Austria v Commission

Notes on Academic Writings

  1. Idot, Laurence: Aides d'État - Aides en faveur d'une centrale nucléaire, Europe 2020, n° 11 Novembre, Comm. 349 (FR)
  2. Eidissen, Stig: Common interest as a condition for state aid compatibility : Case C-594/18 P, European State Aid Law Quarterly 2020 p. 452-463 (EN)
  3. Sikora, Alicja: Applicability of the EU state aid and environmental rules in the nuclear energy sector : annotation on the judgment of the Court of Justice (Grand Chamber) of 22 September 2020 in case C-594/18 P Republic of Austria v Commission, European State Aid Law Quarterly 2020 p. 515-520 (EN)
  4. Dewispelaere, Jeroen ; Boucquey, Raphaël: Het arrest Hinkley Point C : naar een verregaande integratie van de regels inzake staatssteun en de Unierechtelijke voorschriften op milieugebied : C-594/18 P, Oostenrijk/Commissie, Jaarboek energierecht 2020 2020 p. 193-225 (NL)
  5. Dewispelaere, Jeroen ; Boucquey, Raphaël: Het arrest Hinkley Point C : naar een verregaande integratie van de regels inzake staatssteun en de unierechtelijke voorschriften op milieugebied : C-594/18 P, Oostenrijk/Commissie, Jaarboek energierecht 2020 2020 p. 193-225 (NL)
  6. Dekker, Cees T.: De rol van het gemeenschappelijk belang bij de verenigbaarverklaring van steunmaatregelen : HvJ 22 september 2020, zaak C-594/18P, (Oostenrijk/Commissie (Hinkley), Nederlands tijdschrift voor Europees recht 2021 p. 1-6 (NL)
  7. Blockx, Jan: Staatssteun voor kernenergie: wettige spitstechnologie of juridische spitsvondigheid? Zaak C-594/18 P, Oostenrijk/Commissie, S.E.W. : Tijdschrift voor Europees en economisch recht 2021 p. 288-292 (NL)
  8. Nicolaides, Phedon: Shedding light into the ‘black box’ of state aid : the impact of Hinkley Point C on the assessment of the compatibility of state aid : C-594/18 P, European State Aid Law Quarterly 2021 p. 4-14 (EN)
  9. Hancher, Leigh: Euratom, state aid and environmental protection : Hinkley Point : Case C-594/18 P, Republic of Austria v. Commission, Common Market Law Review 2021 p. 1491-1522 (EN)
  10. Lovas, Dóra: Az Európai Unió Bíróságának ítélete a „Hinkley Point C" atomerőmű-beruházásról : az atomerőmű-beruházás és az állami támogatások megengedhetősége : C-594/18. P. sz. Ausztria kontra Bizottság, Jogesetek Magyarázata 2021 nº 2-3 p. 109-111 (HU)
  11. Hancher, Leigh ; Bouchagiar, Antonios: Hinkley point C : trimming the SAM, while extending the reach of wider EU law infringements? : Case C-594/18 P Austria v Commission, European State Aid Law Quarterly 2021 p. 529-545 (EN)
  12. Olthoff, Merit ; Von Bonin, Andreas: Das „Hinkley Point“-Urteil des EuGH: Berücksichtigung von Nachhaltigkeitsaspekten in der beihilferechtlichen Prüfung sowie allgemein im EU-Kartell- und Fusionskontrollrecht : C-594/18, Europäische Zeitschrift für Wirtschaftsrecht 2021 p. 181-187 (DE)
  13. Thieffry, Patrick: X. Environnement - Cour de justice, gde ch., 22 septembre 2020, Autriche c/ Commission, aff. C-594/18 P, ECLI:EU:C: 2020:742, Jurisprudence de la CJUE 2020. Décisions et commentaires (Ed. Bruylant - Bruxelles) 2021, p. 623-626 (FR)
  14. Summer, Sibylle: Staatliche Beihilfen für neue Kernkraftanlagen : eine Zwischenbilanz nach einem langen Rechtsstreit : Rs C-594/18 P, Zeitschrift für Beihilfenrecht 2021 p. 129-134 (DE)
  15. Thieffry, Patrick: Aides d'État à l'environnement : développements normatifs (retardés) et jurisprudentiels (intensifiés) au prisme du Pacte vert pour l'Europe, Revue trimestrielle de droit européen 2021, n° 1, p. 223-225 (FR)
  16. Dekker, Cees T.: De rol van het gemeenschappelijk belang bij de verenigbaarverklaring van steunmaatregelen : HvJ 22 september 2020, zaak C-594/18P : Oostenrijk/Commissie (Hinkley), Nederlands tijdschrift voor Europees recht 2021 p. 1-6 (NL)



Procedural Analysis Information

Source of the question referred for a preliminary ruling

Information not available

Subject-matter

  • Competition
  • - State aid
  • Energy
  • Euratom matters

Provisions of national law referred to

Information not available

Provisions of international law referred to

Information not available

Procedure and result

  • Actions for annulment
  • Appeals : dismissal on substantive grounds
  • Appeals : dismissal on grounds of inadmissibility

Formation of the Court

grande chambre (Cour)

Judge-Rapporteur

Jarukaitis

Advocate General

Hogan

Language(s) of the Case

  • German

Language(s) of the Opinion

  • English