Case C-398/25, Energie-Control Austria: Request for a preliminary ruling from the Verwaltungsgericht Wien (Austria) lodged on 16 June 2025 – Energie-Control Austria für die Regulierung der Elektrizitäts- und Erdgaswirtschaft
Date: 2025-06-16
Institutions: Court of Justice
Subjects: Austria, Switzerland, administrative sanction, auction sale, energy market, energy transport, legal person, national competent authority








C_202505202EN.000101.fmx.xml












Official Journal of the European Union


EN
C series













C/2025/5202


6.10.2025






Request for a preliminary ruling from the Verwaltungsgericht Wien (Austria) lodged on 16 June 2025 – Energie-Control Austria für die Regulierung der Elektrizitäts- und Erdgaswirtschaft


(Case C-398/25, Energie-Control Austria)

(C/2025/5202)
Language of the case: German

Referring court

Verwaltungsgericht Wien

Parties to the main proceedings


Applicant: Energie-Control Austria für die Regulierung der Elektrizitäts- und Erdgaswirtschaft

Defendant authority: Magistrat der Stadt Wien

Other parties to the proceedings: DM, Alpiq Holding AG

Questions referred







1.


Does the scope of Regulation (EU) No 1227/2011 (1) of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 October 2011 on wholesale energy market integrity and transparency include trade in cross-zonal capacity between the Republic of Austria and the Swiss Confederation and between the Swiss Confederation and the Republic of Austria by a Swiss undertaking?










2.


Is Article 2(2)(a)(i) of Regulation (EU) No 1227/2011 compatible with Article 49(1) of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union?










3.


Is the competence of the district administrative authority to impose administrative penalties pursuant to Paragraph 89(2) of the Elektrizitätswirtschafts- und -organisationsgesetz 2010 (Law on the organisation of the electricity sector 2010; ‘the ElWOG 2010’) compatible with the EU criteria for investigatory and enforcement powers set out in Article 13(1) of Regulation (EU) No 1227/2011 and with the EU criteria for effective and dissuasive penalties within the meaning of Article 18 of Regulation (EU) No 1227/2011?
If the answers to the first to third questions are in the affirmative:










4.


Can a (legal) person send false or misleading signals within the meaning of Article 2(2)(a)(i) of Regulation (EU) No 1227/2011 where it complies with the procedural provisions laid down in Commission Regulation (EU) 2016/1719 (2) of 26 September 2016 establishing a guideline on forward capacity allocation and/or the Allocation Rules for Forward Capacity Allocation on Swiss Borders (October 2019) (‘the Allocation Rules on Swiss Borders’) regarding behaviour at auctions of cross-zonal capacity on the digital trading platform – the single allocation platform of the Joint Allocation Office (‘JAO’) – established on the basis of Regulation (EU) 2016/1719?










5.


If the answer to the fourth question is in the affirmative: Does returning for a monthly auction cross-zonal capacity acquired in annual auctions and subsequently submitting purchase bids for the same monthly auction (‘return and bid strategy’) to the JAO single allocation platform meet the conditions for commission of market manipulation as specified in Article 2(2)(a)(i) of Regulation (EU) No 1227/2011?
If the answers to the first to third questions are in the affirmative:










6.


Does returning in a monthly auction cross-zonal capacity acquired in annual auctions and subsequently submitting bids for the same monthly auction (‘return and bid strategy’) to the JAO single allocation platform result in infringement of the UIOSI principle as defined in Article 2(6) of Regulation (EU) 2016/1719, read in conjunction with Article 45(1) of the Allocation Rules on Swiss Borders?










7.


Is it possible despite lawful behaviour at an auction on the JAO single allocation platform for the price to be so influenced as to be secured at an artificial level and so meet the conditions for commission of market manipulation as specified in Article 2(2)(a)(i) of Regulation (EU) No 1227/2011?










8.


If the answer to the sixth question is in the affirmative: Does returning for a monthly auction cross-zonal capacity acquired in annual auctions and subsequently submitting bids for the same monthly auction to the JAO single allocation platform meet the conditions for commission of market manipulation as specified in Article 2(2)(a)(ii) of Regulation (EU) No 1227/2011?






(1)  Regulation (EU) No 1227/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 October 2011 on wholesale energy market integrity and transparency (OJ 2011 L 326, p. 1).

(2)  Commission Regulation (EU) 2016/1719 of 26 September 2016 establishing a guideline on forward capacity allocation (OJ 2016 L 259, p. 42).


ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/C/2025/5202/oj
ISSN 1977-091X (electronic edition)