62020TJ0593_INF
Judgment of the General Court (Eighth Chamber) of 18 May 2022 –Tirrenia di navigazione v Commission
(Case T‑593/20) (
1
)
(State aid – Maritime transport – Service of general economic interest – Decision declaring the aid unlawful – Decision declaring the aid partly compatible and partly incompatible with the internal market and ordering its recovery – Rescue aid – Compatibility with the internal market – Period of six months – Extension – Requirement to submit a restructuring or liquidation plan – Guidelines on State aid for rescuing and restructuring firms in difficulty – Tax exemption – Advantage – Selective nature – Effect on trade between Member States – Adverse effect on competition – Excessive duration of the procedure – Legitimate expectations – Legal certainty – Principle of good administration)
1.
Judicial proceedings – Application initiating proceedings – Formal requirements – Identification of the subject matter of the dispute – Brief statement of the pleas in law on which the application is based – Application not sufficiently clear and precise
(Statute of the Court of Justice, Arts 21 and 53, first para.; Rules of Procedure of the General Court, Art. 76, first para., subpara. (d))
(see paras 56-59, 97-99)
2.
State aid – Concept – Grant of an advantage to the beneficiaries – Burden of proving an advantage on the Commission – Relevant date for the purpose of determining whether there is an advantage – Date of the legally binding measure requiring the competent national authority to grant the aid – Aid which can materialise only upon the occurrence of future and uncertain events – Irrelevant
(Art. 107(1) TFEU)
(see paras 65-70)
3.
State aid – Commission decision finding aid incompatible with the common market and ordering its recovery – Possible for the Commission to leave to national authorities the task of calculating the exact amount to be recovered
(Art. 108(2) TFEU)
(see paras 71, 73)
4.
State aid – Decision of the Commission finding aid incompatible with the internal market and ordering its recovery – Difficulties in implementation – Duty of the Commission and of the Member State to collaborate in seeking a solution compatible with the Treaty
(Art. 4(3) TEU; Art. 108(2) TFEU)
(see para. 72)
5.
State aid – Effect on trade between Member States – Adverse effect on competition – Criteria for assessment – Aid which may affect that trade and distort competition – Meaning
(Art. 107(1) TFEU)
(see paras 82-84)
6.
State aid – Effect on trade between Member States – Adverse effect on competition – Criteria for assessment – Aid enabling an undertaking in difficulty to remain on the market – Aid which may distort the conditions for competition
(Art. 107(1) TFEU)
(see paras 86-88)
7.
State aid – Recovery of unlawful aid – Aid granted in breach of the procedural rules of Article 108 TFEU – Legitimate expectations entertained by the recipients – None save in exceptional circumstances – Legitimate expectations arising from the excessive length of the administrative procedure – Obligation for the Commission to give a decision within a reasonable time – Assessment of actual situation
(Art. 108 TFEU; Council Regulation No 659/1999, Arts 13(2) and 14(1))
(see paras 100-133)
Operative part
The Court:
1.
Dismisses the action;
2.
Orders Tirrenia di navigazione SpA to pay the costs.
(
1
)	OJ C 378, 9.11.2020.