Joined Cases T-443/08 and T-455/08: Judgment of the General Court of 24 March 2011 — Freistaat Sachsen and Others v Commission (State aid — Aid for Leipzig/Halle Airport — Funding of investments relating to the construction of the new southern runway — Decision declaring aid compatible with the common market — Actions for annulment — No interest in bringing proceedings — Inadmissibility — Concept of ‘undertaking’ — Concept of ‘economic activity’ — Airport infrastructure)
Date: 2011-03-24
Institutions: General Court
Subjects: European Commission, Germany, State aid, action for annulment (EU), air transport, airport, building subsidy, transport infrastructure








C_2011145EN.01002401.xml










14.5.2011   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


C 145/24





Judgment of the General Court of 24 March 2011 — Freistaat Sachsen and Others v Commission
(Joined Cases T-443/08 and T-455/08) (1)

(State aid - Aid for Leipzig/Halle Airport - Funding of investments relating to the construction of the new southern runway - Decision declaring aid compatible with the common market - Actions for annulment - No interest in bringing proceedings - Inadmissibility - Concept of ‘undertaking’ - Concept of ‘economic activity’ - Airport infrastructure)
2011/C 145/38
Language of the case: German

Parties


Applicants: Freistaat Sachsen (Germany) and Land Sachsen-Anhalt (Germany) (represented by U. Soltész, lawyer) (Case T-443/08); Mitteldeutsche Flughafen AG (Leipzig, Germany) and Flughafen Leipzig/Halle GmbH) (Leipzig) (represented by: M. Núñez-Müller, lawyer) (Case T-455/08)

Defendant: European Commission (represented by: K. Gross, B. Martenczuk and E. Righini, Agents)

Interveners in support of the applicants: Federal Republic of Germany (represented by M. Lumma and B. Klein, Agents); and Arbeitsgemeinschaft Deutscher Verkehrsflughäfen eV (ADV) (represented by L. Giesberts, lawyer)

Re:

Application for partial annulment of Commission Decision 2008/948/EC of 23 July 2008 on measures by Germany to assist DHL and Leipzig/Halle Airport (OJ 2008 L 346, p. 1).

Operative part of the judgment

The Court:






1.


Joins Cases T-443/08 and T-455/08 for the purposes of judgment;










2.


Dismisses the action in Case T-443/08 as inadmissible;










3.


Annuls Article 1 of Commission Decision 2008/948/EC of 23 July 2008 on measures by Germany to assist DHL and Leipzig/Halle Airport in so far as it fixes at EUR 350 million the amount of State aid which the Federal Republic of Germany intends to grant to Leipzig/Halle Airport for the construction of a new southern runway and related airport infrastructure;










4.


Dismisses the remainder of the action in Case T-455/08;










5.


Orders Freistaat Sachsen and Land Sachsen-Anhalt to bear their own costs and to pay the European Commission’s costs in Case T-443/08;










6.


Orders Mitteldeutsche Flughafen AG and Flughafen Leipzig/Halle GmbH to bear their own costs;










7.


Orders the Commission bear its own costs in Case T-455/08;










8.


Orders the Federal Republic of Germany and Arbeitsgemeinschaft Deutscher Verkehrsflughäfen eV (ADV) to bear their own costs in Cases T-443/08 and T-455/08.






(1)  OJ C 237, 20.12.2008.