62023CJ0538_SUM
Case C‑538/23
ÖBB-Infrastruktur AGandWESTbahn Management GmbH
v
Schienen-Control Kommission
(Request for a preliminary ruling from the Bundesverwaltungsgericht)
Judgment of the Court (Second Chamber) of 22 May 2025
(Reference for a preliminary ruling – Rail transport – Directive 2012/34/EU – Levying of charges for the use of railway infrastructure – Establishing, determining and collecting charges – Article 29 – Exceptions to charging principles – Article 32 – Mark-ups – Modalities for calculation and publication – Article 56 – Functions of the regulatory body – Authorisation procedure for mark-ups, provided for by national law – Conditions)
Transport – Rail transport – Directive 2012/34 – Allocation of railway infrastructure capacity and levying of charges – Levying of charges for the use of infrastructure – Functions of the regulatory body – Review by the regulatory body on its own initiative of the charging scheme set by the infrastructure manager – National authorisation procedure for mark-ups on infrastructure charges – Whether permissible – Conditions)
(European Parliament and Council Directive 2012/34, Arts 29(1), 32 and 56)
(see paragraphs 41-55, operative part 1)
Transport – Rail transport – Directive 2012/34 – Allocation of railway infrastructure capacity and levying of charges – Levying of charges for the use of infrastructure – Network statement – Scope – Information on mark-ups on infrastructure charges – Obligation to publish that information before their authorisation – No obligation – Obligation to specify that information for each segment of the market – Exceptions to charging principles – Modification of essential elements of the charging system – Definition – Change in the amount of mark-ups imposed on infrastructure charges – Not included
(European Parliament and Council Directive 2012/34, recital 34, Arts 3, point 26, 27(2), 32(1) and (6) and Annex IV, point 2)
(see paragraphs 60, 61, 63-69, 73-75, operative part 2)
Transport – Rail transport – Directive 2012/34 – Allocation of railway infrastructure capacity and levying of charges – Levying of charges for the use of infrastructure – Functions of the regulatory body – Review of the lawfulness of mark-ups imposed on infrastructure charges – Power to ask for amendments to those mark-ups – Limits – Appraisals of appropriateness
(European Parliament and Council Directive 2012/34, Arts 29(1), 32 and 56)
(see paragraphs 78-81, operative part 3)
Transport – Rail transport – Directive 2012/34 – Allocation of railway infrastructure capacity and levying of charges – Levying of charges for the use of infrastructure – Management independence – Scope – Mark-ups on charges established according to an overall amount of revenue imposed by a Member State – Failure to respect the independence of the infrastructure manager – Not permissible – Taking into account of the State subsidies received by that manager for the purpose of determining the total cost incurred by it in making the infrastructure available – Whether permissible
(European Parliament and Council Directive 2012/34, Arts 4 and 32(1))
(see paragraphs 83-89, operative part 4)
See the text of the decision.