Case T-626/20: Judgment of the General Court of 21 December 2022 — Landwärme v Commission (State aid — Biogas market — Tax exemptions compensating for additional production costs — Decisions not to raise objections — Action for annulment — Interest in bringing proceedings — Admissibility — Failure to initiate the formal investigation procedure — Serious difficulties — Article 108(2) and (3) TFEU — Article 4(3) and (4) of Regulation (EU) 2015/1589 — Guidelines on State aid for environmental protection and energy 2014-2020 — Cumulation of aid — Aid granted by several Member States — Imported biogas — Principle of non-discrimination — Article 110 TFEU)
Date: 2022-12-21
Institutions: General Court
Subjects: State aid, Sweden, admissibility, biogas, control of State aid, energy production, equal treatment, import, tax exemption








C_2023083EN.01001601.xml










6.3.2023   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


C 83/16






Judgment of the General Court of 21 December 2022 — Landwärme v Commission
(Case T-626/20) (1)

(State aid - Biogas market - Tax exemptions compensating for additional production costs - Decisions not to raise objections - Action for annulment - Interest in bringing proceedings - Admissibility - Failure to initiate the formal investigation procedure - Serious difficulties - Article 108(2) and (3) TFEU - Article 4(3) and (4) of Regulation (EU) 2015/1589 - Guidelines on State aid for environmental protection and energy 2014-2020 - Cumulation of aid - Aid granted by several Member States - Imported biogas - Principle of non-discrimination - Article 110 TFEU)
(2023/C 83/18)
Language of the case: German

Parties


Applicant: Landwärme GmbH (Munich, Germany) (represented by: J. Bonhage and M. Frank, lawyers)

Defendant: European Commission (represented by: K. Blanck, A. Bouchagiar and P. Němečková, acting as Agents)

Intervener in support of the defendant: Kingdom of Sweden (represented by: O. Simonsson, C. Meyer-Seitz, A. Runeskjöld, M. Salborn Hodgson, H. Shev, H. Eklinder and R. Shahsavan Eriksson, acting as Agents)

Re:

By its action under Article 263 TFEU, the applicant seeks the annulment, first, of Commission Decision C(2020) 4489 final of 29 June 2020 on State aid SA.56125 (2020/N) — Sweden — Prolongation and modification of scheme SA.49893 (2018/N) — Tax exemption for non-food based biogas and bio-propane in heat generation, and, second, Commission Decision C(2020) 4487 final of 29 June 2020 on State aid SA.56908 (2020/N) — Sweden — Prolongation and modification of biogas scheme for motor fuel in Sweden.

Operative part of the judgment

The Court:






1.


Annuls Commission Decision C(2020) 4489 final of 29 June 2020 on State aid SA.56125 (2020/N) — Sweden — Prolongation and modification of scheme SA.49893 (2018/N) — Tax exemption for non-food based biogas and bio-propane in heat generation;










2.


Annuls Commission Decision C(2020) 4487 final of 29 June 2020 on State aid SA.56908 (2020/N) — Sweden — Prolongation and modification of biogas scheme for motor fuel in Sweden;










3.


Orders the European Commission to bear its own costs and pay those incurred by Landwärme GmbH;










4.


Orders the Kingdom of Sweden to bear its own costs.






(1)  OJ C 414, 30.11.2020.