62020TO0092(01)_INF
Order of the General Court (Second Chamber) of 11 February 2021 –Fryč v Commission
(Case T‑92/20)
(Non-contractual liability – State aid – Block exemption regulations – Aid programme granted by the Czech authorities in favour of certain undertakings – Commission decision approving that programme – Action for annulment dismissed as being out of time – Damage allegedly caused by acts of the Commission and the EU Courts – Limitation period – Action in part manifestly inadmissible – Causal link – Action in part manifestly unfounded in law)
1.
Actions for damages – Limitation period – Point from which time starts to run – Liability for a legislative act – Date of appearance of the prejudicial effects of the act
(Art. 340, second para., TFEU; Statute of the Court of Justice, Art. 46)
(see para. 18)
2.
Actions for damages – Limitation period – Interruption – Conditions – Proceedings instituted before the EU judicature or, prior to such proceedings, an application made to the relevant institution – Concept of application for that purpose – Application for annulment – Precluded
(Art. 340 TFEU; Statute of the Court of Justice, Art. 46)
(see para. 22)
3.
Non-contractual liability – Conditions – Causal link – Burden of proof
(Art. 340, second para., TFEU)
(see para. 30)
4.
Non-contractual liability – Conditions – Unlawfulness – Damage – Causal link – One of the conditions not satisfied – Claim for compensation dismissed in its entirety
(Art. 340, second para., TFEU)
(see paras 28, 31)
Re:
Application under Article 268 TFEU seeking compensation for the damage allegedly suffered by the applicant as a result of, first, the adoption of Commission Regulation (EC) No 800/2008 of 6 August 2008 declaring certain categories of aid compatible with the common market in application of Articles 87 and 88 of the Treaty (General block exemption Regulation) (OJ 2008 L 214, p. 3), second, the adoption by the Commission of the decision of 3 December 2007 and the failure to publish that decision, third, the shortcomings in the Commission’s handling of the complaints lodged by the applicant between 2016 and 2018 and, fourth, the orders of 5 September 2019, Fryč v Commission (C‑230/19 P, not published, EU:C:2019:685), and of 15 January 2019, Fryč v Commission (T‑513/18, not published, EU:T:2019:22).
Operative part
1.
The action is dismissed.
2.
There is no longer any need to adjudicate on the application for leave to intervene by the Czech Republic.
3.
Mr Petr Fryč shall bear his own costs and pay the costs incurred by the European Commission, with the exception of those relating to the application for leave to intervene.
4.
Mr Petr Fryč and the Commission shall each bear their own costs relating to the application for leave to intervene.