Joined Cases T-34/21 and T-87/21: Judgment of the General Court of 10 May 2023 — Ryanair and Condor Flugdienst v Commission (Lufthansa; COVID-19) (State aid — German air transport market — Aid granted by Germany to an airline in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic — Recapitalisation of Deutsche Lufthansa — Decision not to raise any objections — Temporary Framework for State aid measures — Actions for annulment — Locus standi — Substantial effect on competitive position — Admissibility — Significant market power — Additional measures to preserve effective competition on the market — Obligation to state reasons)
Date: 2023-05-10
Institutions: General Court
Subjects: Germany, State aid, admissibility, aid to undertakings, air transport, capital increase, control of State aid, coronavirus disease, epidemic








C_2023223EN.01001801.xml










26.6.2023   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


C 223/18






Judgment of the General Court of 10 May 2023 — Ryanair and Condor Flugdienst v Commission (Lufthansa; COVID-19)
(Joined Cases T-34/21 and T-87/21) (1)

(State aid - German air transport market - Aid granted by Germany to an airline in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic - Recapitalisation of Deutsche Lufthansa - Decision not to raise any objections - Temporary Framework for State aid measures - Actions for annulment - Locus standi - Substantial effect on competitive position - Admissibility - Significant market power - Additional measures to preserve effective competition on the market - Obligation to state reasons)
(2023/C 223/24)
Language of the case: English

Parties


Applicant in Case T-34/21: Ryanair DAC (Swords, Ireland) (represented by: E. Vahida, F.-C. Laprévote, S. Rating, I.-G. Metaxas-Maranghidis and V. Blanc, lawyers)

Applicant in Case T-87/21: Condor Flugdienst GmbH (Neu-Isenburg, Germany) (represented by: A. Israel, J. Lang and E. Wright, lawyers)

Defendant: European Commission (represented by: L. Flynn, S. Noë and F. Tomat, acting as Agents)

Interveners in support of the defendant in Case T-34/21: Federal Republic of Germany (represented by: J. Möller and P.-L. Krüger, acting as Agents), French Republic (represented by: T. Stéhelin, J.-L. Carré and P. Dodeller, acting as Agents)

Intervener in support of the defendant in Cases T-34/21 and T-87/21: Deutsche Lufthansa AG (Cologne, Germany) (represented by: H.-J. Niemeyer and J. Burger, lawyers)

Re:

By their actions on the basis of Article 263 TFEU, the applicants seek annulment of Commission Decision C(2020) 4372 final of 25 June 2020 concerning State Aid SA.57153 (2020/N) — Germany — COVID-19 — Aid to Lufthansa.

Operative part of the judgment

The Court:






1.


Annuls Commission Decision C(2020) 4372 final of 25 June 2020 concerning State Aid SA.57153 — Germany — COVID-19 — Aid to Lufthansa, as corrected by Commission Decision C(2021) 9606 final of 14 December 2021;










2.


Orders the European Commission to bear its own costs and to pay those incurred by Ryanair DAC in Case T-34/21 and by Condor Flugdienst GmbH in Case T-87/21;










3.


Orders the Federal Republic of Germany, the French Republic and Deutsche Lufthansa AG to bear their own costs in Case T-34/21;










4.


Orders the Federal Republic of Germany and Deutsche Lufthansa to bear their own costs in Case T-87/21.






(1)  OJ C 79, 8.3.2021.