Judgment — ECLI:EU:T:2006:386
Date: 2006-12-12
Language of the case: Spanish
Court formation: Second Chamber
Based on: Treaty establishing the European Economic Community (1957)
Subject matter: State aids;Competition
Concepts: Statement of reasons;Applications by natural or legal persons
Procedure: Action for annulment - successful
Origin: Spain

Judgment of the Court of First Instance of 12 December 2006 - Asociaciόn de Estaciones de Servicio de Madrid and Federaciόn Catalana de Estaciones de Servicio v Commission (Case T-146/03) 1 (State aid - Spanish law providing for measures in favour of the agricultural sector following the increase in fuel prices - Formal examination procedure provided for by Article 88(2) EC - Decision declaring that certain measures did not constitute aid - Action for annulment - Admissibility - Standing to bring proceedings - Duty to state reasons) Language of the case: Spanish Parties Applicants: Asociaciόn de Empresarios de Estaciones de Servicio de la Comunidad Autόnoma de Madrid (Madrid, Spain) and Federaciόn Catalana de Estaciones de Servicio (Barcelona, Spain) (represented by: R. Ortega Bueno and M. Delgado Echevarría, lawyers) Defendant: Commission of the European Communities (represented by: originally by J.L. Buendía Sierra, and subsequently by J.R. Vidal Puig) Intervener in support of the defendant: Kingdom of Spain (represented by: E. Braquehais Conesa, lawyer, and M. Muñoz Pérez, Agent) Re: Application for partial annulment of Commission Decision 2003/293/EC of 11 December 2002 on the measures implemented by Spain in the agricultural sector following the increase in fuel prices (OJ 2003 L 111, p. 24) Operative part of the judgment The Court: Declares that Article 1 of Commission Decision of 11 December 2002 on the measures implemented by Spain in the agricultural sector following the increase in fuel prices is annulled in so far that it finds that the measures to support agricultural cooperatives provided for by Royal Decree Law 10/2000 de medidas urgentes de apoyo a los sectores agrario, pesquero y del transporte (Decree Law on emergency support for agriculture, fisheries and transport) do not constitute aid within the meaning of Article 87(1) EC. Orders the Commission to bear its own costs and to pay those incurred by the applicants. Orders the Kingdom of Spain to bear its own costs. ____________ 1 - OJ C 171, of 19.7.2003