Order — ECLI:EU:T:2016:626
Date: 2016-10-19
Language of the case: English
Court formation: Fifth Chamber
Subject matter: Energy
Procedure: Action for annulment - inadmissible;Application to intervene - decision unnecessary
Origin: Austria

Order of the General Court (Fifth Chamber) of 19 October 2016 — E‑Control v ACER (Case T‑671/15) Action for annulment — Energy — Regulation (EC) No 713/2009 — Regulation (EC) No 714/2009 — Opinion of ACER — National regulatory authorities’ decisions approving the methods of allocation of cross-border electricity transmission capacity — Central-East Europe region — Compatibility — Act not open to challenge — Inadmissibility 1. Actions for annulment — Actionable measures — Definition — Measures producing binding legal effects — Assessment by reference to objective criteria — Opinion of the Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER) finding decisions of the national regulatory authorities approving methods of allocation of cross-border electricity transmission capacity non-compliant — Measure without binding legal effects in regard to those national authorities — Inadmissibility — Opinion containing a definitive legal assessment by ACER — Irrelevant (Arts 263 TFEU and 288, fifth para., TFEU; European Parliament and Council Regulation No 713/2009, Art. 7(1), (4) and (5); European Parliament and Council Directive 2009/72, Art. 39(1) to (8)) (see paras 23-25, 29, 43, 44, 46, 48, 59, 60, 64) 2. Actions for annulment — Actionable measures — Definition — Measures producing binding legal effects — Preparatory measures — Not included (Art. 263 TFEU) (see paras 26-28) 3. Actions for annulment — Admissibility criteria — Actionable measure — None — Inadmissibility — Infringement of the right to effective judicial protection — None (Art. 263, fourth para., TFEU; Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, Art. 47) (see paras 90, 91) Re: APPLICATION under Article 263 TFEU for annulment of Opinion No 09/2015 of ACER of 23 September 2015 on the compliance of national regulatory authorities’ decisions approving the methods of allocation of cross-border transmission capacity in the Central-East Europe region with Regulation (EC) No 714/2009 and the Guidelines on the management and allocation of available transfer capacity of interconnections between national systems contained in Annex I thereto. Operative part 1. The action is dismissed as inadmissible. 2. There is no longer any need to rule on the applications to intervene of the Republic of Austria, the Republic of Poland, Wirtschaftskammer Österreich, Verbund AG and Polskie Sieci Elektroenergetyczne S.A. 3. Energie-Control Austria für die Regulierung der Elektrizitäts- und Erdgaswirtschaft (E-Control) is ordered to bear its own costs and to pay those incurred by the Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER), including those relating to the interim proceedings. 4. The Republic of Austria, the Republic of Poland, Wirtschaftskammer Österreich, Verbund AG and Polskie Sieci Elektroenergetyczne S.A. are ordered to bear their own costs relating to the applications to intervene.