Case T-596/25: Action brought on 28 August 2025 – Lotus Cars v Commission
Date: 2025-08-28
Institutions: General Court
Subjects: debt, greenhouse gas, motor car, motor vehicle industry, motor vehicle pollution, pollution control measures, principle of legal certainty, principle of proportionality, reduction of gas emissions








C_202505365EN.000101.fmx.xml












Official Journal of the European Union


EN
C series













C/2025/5365


13.10.2025






Action brought on 28 August 2025 – Lotus Cars v Commission


(Case T-596/25)

(C/2025/5365)
Language of the case: English

Parties


Applicant: Lotus Cars Ltd (Norwich, United Kingdom) (represented by: M. Struys and V. Ciudin, lawyers)

Defendant: European Commission

Form of order sought

The applicant claims that the Court should:






—


annul, under Article 263 TFEU, Commission Decision of 18 June 2025 refusing to recognise the applicant as benefiting from the de minimis exemption under Article 2(4) of Regulation 2019/631 (1) for the compliance year 2023; and (ii) Debit Note No 2518007231 of 3 July 2025 for excess emissions premium in calendar year 2023;










—


in the alternative, find, under Articles 263 and 277 TFEU, Articles 2(4) or 3(2) of Regulation 2019/631, alone or read together, illegal and therefore inapplicable, and hence annul Commission Decision of 18 June 2025 refusing to recognise the Applicant as benefiting from the de minimis exemption under Article 2(4) of Regulation 2019/631 for the compliance year 2023; and (ii) Debit Note No 2518007231 of 3 July 2025 for excess emissions premium in calendar year 2023;










—


order the Commission to pay the costs of this procedure.





Pleas in law and main arguments

In support of the action, the applicant relies on six pleas in law.






1.


First plea in law, alleging that the Commission Decision of 18 June 2025 and Debit Note ‘per se’ violate the principles of legitimate expectation and legal certainty.










2.


Second plea in law, alleging the existence of an excusable (bona fide) error and the violation of the principle of proportionality.










3.


Third plea in law, alleging misinterpretation and application of Article 2(4) in light of the objective of Regulation 2019/631 and failure to ensure a consistent and non-contradictory application with the derogation under Article 10(1)(c).










4.


Fourth plea in law, alleging the existence of a violation of the obligation to state reasons (Article 296 TFEU) and the principle of good administration (Article 41 of the EU Charter) and a manifest error of assessment.










5.


Fifth plea in law, alleging that Articles 2(4) or 3(2) of Regulation 2019/631 alone or read together are illegal pursuant to Article 277 TFEU.










6.


Sixth plea in law, alleging the violation of the principle of legal certainty.






(1)  Regulation (EU) 2019/631 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 April 2019 setting CO2 emission performance standards for new passenger cars and for new light commercial vehicles, and repealing Regulations (EC) No 443/2009 and (EU) No 510/2011 (recast) (OJ 2019 L 111, p. 13).


ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/C/2025/5365/oj
ISSN 1977-091X (electronic edition)