EN Official Journal of the European Union C 24/6

Judgment of the Court (Grand Chamber) of 2 December 2009 — European Commission v Ireland, French Republic, Italian Republic, Eurallumina SpA, Aughinish Alumina Ltd

(Case C-89/08 P) (1)

(Appeal - State aid - Exemption from excise duty on mineral oils - Regulation (EC) No 659/1999 - Article 1(b)(v) - Failure to state reasons - Court acting of its own motion - Plea involving a matter of public policy raised by the Community judicature - Infringement of the rule that the parties should be heard - Scope of the obligation to state reasons)

2010/C 24/08

Language of the case: French, English and Italian

Parties

Appellant: European Commission (represented by: V. Di Bucci and N. Khan, Agents)

Other parties to the proceedings: Ireland (represented by: D. O’Hagan, Agent and by P. McGarry BL), French Republic (represented by: G. de Bergues and A.-L. Vendrolini, Agents), Italian Republic (represented by R. Adam, Agent and by G. Aiello, avvocato dello Stato), Eurallum SpA (represented by R. Denton, Solicitor), Aughinish Alumina Ltd (represented by: J. Handoll and C. Waterson, Solicitors)

Re:

Appeal against the judgment of the Court of First Instance (Second Chamber, Extended Composition) of 12 December 2007 in Joined Cases T-50/06, T-56/06, T-60/06, T-62/06 and T-69/06 Ireland and Others v Commission, by which the Court of First Instance annulled Commission Decision 2006/323/EC of 7 December 2005 concerning the exemption from excise duty on mineral oils used as fuel for alumina production in Gardanne, in the Shannon region and in Sardinia respectively implemented by France, Ireland and Italy (OJ 2006 L 119, p. 12) — Concepts of existing aid and new aid — Objective concepts — Lack of reasoning — Plea of public policy to be raised automatically by the Community Court — Breach of the principle that the action is confined to the subject-matter as delimited in the application and general principles of the adversarial system and respect of the rights of the defence.

Operative part of the judgment

The Court:

1. Sets aside the judgment of the Court of First Instance of the European Communities of 12 December 2007 in Joined Cases T-50/06, T-56/06, T-60/06, T-62/06 and T-69/06 Ireland and Others v Commission in so far as it: — annulled Commission Decision 2006/323/EC of 7 December 2005 concerning the exemption from excise duty on mineral oils used as fuel for alumina production in Gardanne, in the Shannon region and in Sardinia respectively implemented by France, Ireland and Italy, on the ground that, in that decision, the Commission of the European Communities failed to fulfil its obligation to state reasons with regard to the non-application in the present case of Article 1(b)(v) of Council Regulation (EC) No 659/1999 of 22 March 1999 laying down detailed rules for the application of Article [88 EC]; and — ordered the Commission of the European Communities to bear its own costs and to pay those of the applicants, including the costs relating to the interim proceedings in Case T-69/06 R;

2. Refers Joined Cases T-50/06, T-56/06, T-60/06, T-62/06 and T-69/06 back to the General Court of the European Union;

3. Orders that costs are reserved.

(1) OJ C 116, 9.5.2008.