Case T-69/18: Judgment of the General Court of 14 April 2021 — Verband Deutscher Alten und Behindertenhilfe and CarePool Hannover v Commission (State aid — Independent social action — Subsidies granted to associations in a regional working group for charity action — Rejection of a complaint — Decision not to raise any objections at the end of the preliminary examination stage — Action for annulment — Status of interested party — Safeguarding of procedural rights — Substantial effect on competitive position — Admissibility — No serious difficulties — No substantial alteration to existing aid)
Date: 2021-04-14
Institutions: General Court
Subjects: Germany, State aid, admissibility, control of State aid, social services, voluntary organisation








C_2021242EN.01001802.xml










21.6.2021   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


C 242/18






Judgment of the General Court of 14 April 2021 — Verband Deutscher Alten und Behindertenhilfe and CarePool Hannover v Commission
(Case T-69/18) (1)

(State aid - Independent social action - Subsidies granted to associations in a regional working group for charity action - Rejection of a complaint - Decision not to raise any objections at the end of the preliminary examination stage - Action for annulment - Status of interested party - Safeguarding of procedural rights - Substantial effect on competitive position - Admissibility - No serious difficulties - No substantial alteration to existing aid)
(2021/C 242/24)
Language of the case: German

Parties


Applicants: Verband Deutscher Alten- und Behindertenhilfe, Landesverband Niedersachsen/Bremen und Hamburg/Schleswig-Holstein eV (Hanover, Germany), CarePool Hannover GmbH (Hanover) (represented by: T. Unger, lawyer, and S. Korte, Professor)

Defendant: European Commission (represented by: K. Herrmann and F. Tomat, acting as Agents)

Interveners in support of the defendant: Diakonisches Werk evangelischer Kirchen in Niedersachsen eV (Hanover) (represented by: A. Bartosch, lawyer), Arbeiterwohlfahrt Bezirksverband Hannover eV (Hanover) (represented by: C. Jürschik, lawyer), Arbeiterwohlfahrt Bezirksverband Braunschweig eV (Braunschweig, Germany) and the eight other interveners whose names are listed in the annex to the judgment (represented by: U. Karpenstein, R. Sangi and C. Johann, lawyers)

Re:

Application under Article 263 TFEU for annulment of Commission Decision C(2017) 7686 final of 23 November 2017 on State aid schemes SA.42268 (2017/E) — Deutschland Staatliche Beihilfe zur Förderung wohlfahrtspflegerischer Aufgaben and SA.42877 (2017/E) — Deutschland CarePool Hannover GmbH implemented by Germany in favour of charitable associations for social welfare projects (OJ 2018 C 61, p. 1).

Operative part of the judgment

The Court:






1.


Dismisses the action;










2.


Orders Verband Deutscher Alten- und Behindertenhilfe, Landesverband Niedersachsen/Bremen und Hamburg/Schleswig-Holstein eV and CarePool Hannover GmbH to bear their own costs and to pay those incurred by the European Commission, Diakonisches Werk evangelischer Kirchen in Niedersachsen eV, Arbeiterwohlfahrt Bezirksverband Hannover eV, Arbeiterwohlfahrt Bezirksverband Braunschweig eV and the other interveners whose names are listed in the annex.






(1)  OJ C 112, 26.3.2018.