Case T-625/22: Judgment of the General Court of 10 September 2025 –Austria v Commission (Environment – Delegated Regulation (EU) 2022/1214 – Taxonomy – Economic activities in the fossil gas and nuclear energy sectors – Inclusion in sustainable economic activities – Investments – Contribution to the transition towards a carbon-neutral economy in accordance with the 1.5 °C objective fixed by the Paris Agreement – Objective of net zero emissions by 2050 – Substantial contribution to climate change mitigation and adaptation – Articles 10 and 11 of Regulation (EU) 2020/852 – Concept of low-carbon activity – Significant harm to environmental objectives – Risks associated with serious reactor accidents – Risks associated with high-level radioactive waste – Risks associated with droughts and climate hazards – Precautionary principle – Technical screening criteria – Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions – Article 290 TFEU – Concept of essential elements of a legislative act – Scientific evidence – Commission’s margin of discretion – Manifest error of assessment)
Date: 2025-09-10
Institutions: General Court
Subjects: EU environmental policy, Paris Agreement on Climate Change, climate change, discretionary power, drought, nuclear accident, nuclear energy, precautionary principle, radioactive waste, reduction of gas emissions








C_202505690EN.000101.fmx.xml












Official Journal of the European Union


EN
C series













C/2025/5690


3.11.2025






Judgment of the General Court of 10 September 2025 –Austria v Commission


(Case T-625/22)
                (1)

(Environment - Delegated Regulation (EU) 2022/1214 - Taxonomy - Economic activities in the fossil gas and nuclear energy sectors - Inclusion in sustainable economic activities - Investments - Contribution to the transition towards a carbon-neutral economy in accordance with the 1.5 °C objective fixed by the Paris Agreement - Objective of net zero emissions by 2050 - Substantial contribution to climate change mitigation and adaptation - Articles 10 and 11 of Regulation (EU) 2020/852 - Concept of ‘low-carbon activity’ - Significant harm to environmental objectives - Risks associated with serious reactor accidents - Risks associated with high-level radioactive waste - Risks associated with droughts and climate hazards - Precautionary principle - Technical screening criteria - Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions - Article 290 TFEU - Concept of ‘essential elements’ of a legislative act - Scientific evidence - Commission’s margin of discretion - Manifest error of assessment)
(C/2025/5690)
Language of the case: German

Parties


Applicant: Republic of Austria (represented by: M. Klamert and F. Koppensteiner, acting as Agents, and by S. Lünenbürger, K. Reiter and M. Kottmann, lawyers)

Defendant: European Commission (represented by: C. Ladenburger, R. Tricot, G. von Rintelen, C. Auvret and B. De Meester, acting as Agents)

Intervener in support of the applicant: Grand Duchy of Luxembourg (represented by: A. Germeaux and T. Schell, acting as Agents)

Interveners in support of the defendant: Republic of Bulgaria (represented by: T. Mitova and S. Ognianova Ruseva, acting as Agents), Czech Republic (represented by: J. Vláčil and L. Dvořáková, acting as Agents), French Republic (represented by: T. Stéhelin, B. Fodda and M. de Lisi, acting as Agents), Hungary (represented by: M. Fehér and K. Szíjjártó, acting as Agents), Republic of Poland (represented by: B. Majczyna, M. Rzotkiewicz and K. Rudzińska, acting as Agents), Romania (represented by: E. Gane, M. Chicu and O.-C. Ichim, acting as Agents), Republic of Slovenia (represented by: A. Grum and B. Jovin Hrastnik, acting as Agents), Slovak Republic (represented by: E. Larišová, acting as Agent), Republic of Finland (represented by: H. Leppo, acting as Agent)

Re:

By its action based on Article 263 TFEU, the Republic of Austria seeks the annulment of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2022/1214 of 9 March 2022 amending Delegated Regulation (EU) 2021/2139 as regards economic activities in certain energy sectors and Delegated Regulation (EU) 2021/2178 as regards specific public disclosures for those economic activities (OJ 2022 L 188, p. 1).

Operative part of the judgment

The Court:






1.


Dismisses the action;










2.


Orders the Republic of Austria to bear its own costs and to pay those incurred by the European Commission;










3.


Orders the Republic of Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, the French Republic, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, Hungary, the Republic of Poland, Romania, the Republic of Slovenia, the Slovak Republic and the Republic of Finland to bear their own costs.






(1)  
            OJ C 24, 23.1.2023.


ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/C/2025/5690/oj
ISSN 1977-091X (electronic edition)