62022CO0797_INF
Order of the Court (Sixth Chamber) of 28 February 2024 –Greece v Commission
(Case C‑797/22 P) (
1
)
(Appeal – Article 181 of the Rules of Procedure of the Court of Justice – State aid – Activities linked to the production, processing and marketing of agricultural products – Damage caused by fires – State aid schemes established by the Hellenic Republic in the form of interest subsidies and State guarantees – Decision declaring the aid schemes unlawful and incompatible with the internal market – Aid limited to affected geographical areas – Economic advantage – Selective nature – Order for recovery of the aid – Exceptional circumstances – Proportionality)
1.
Appeal – Grounds – Inadequate statement of reasons – Reliance by the General Court on implied reasoning – Whether permissible – Conditions
(Art. 296, second para.; Statute of the Court of Justice, Art. 36)
(see paragraphs 16-18, 48, 67)
2.
Aid granted by a Member State – Meaning – Grant of an advantage to the beneficiaries – Interest subsidies and State guarantees granted on existing loans and new loans – Assessment in accordance with the criterion of normal market conditions – Measures adopted by the Member State in its capacity as a public authority in the context of a market crisis – Measures meeting a test of economic rationality and social responsibility – Irrelevant
(Art. 107(1) TFEU)
(see paragraphs 19-32)
3.
Appeal – Grounds – Plea raised for the first time in the context of the appeal – Inadmissibility – Plea seeking solely to contest the merits of the judgment under appeal – Plea arising from the judgment under appeal – Admissibility
(Art. 256(1) TFEU; Statute of the Court of Justice, Art. 58; Rules of Procedure of the Court of Justice, Art. 170(1))
(see paragraphs 43-47)
4.
Aid granted by a Member State – Meaning – Selective nature of the measure – Interest subsidies and State guarantees granted on existing loans and new loans – Criteria for assessment – Determination of the reference framework – Aid limited to affected geographical areas – Measure which may be regarded as selective
(Art. 107(1) TFEU)
(see paragraphs 49-53)
5.
Appeal – Grounds – Plea directed against a ground included for the sake of completeness – Ground of appeal ineffective – Rejection
(Art. 256 TFEU; Statute of the Court of Justice, Art. 58, first para.)
(see paragraphs 54-56)
6.
Aid granted by a Member State – Recovery of unlawful aid – Restoration of the prior situation – No breach of the principle of proportionality
(Art. 108 TFEU; Council Regulation 2015/1589, Art. 16(1))
(see paragraphs 71-72, 75)
7.
Aid granted by a Member State – Recovery of unlawful aid – Aid paid in response to a natural disaster – No exceptional circumstance precluding recovery of the aid
(Art. 108 TFEU; Council Regulation 2015/1589, Art. 16(1))
(see paragraphs 73-74)
Operative part
1.
The appeal is dismissed as manifestly unfounded.
2.
The Hellenic Republic shall pay the costs incurred by the European Commission.
(
1
)	OJ C 63, 20.2.2023.