Joined Cases C-416/24 and C-417/24, On Air Media Professionals and Different Media: Judgment of the Court (First Chamber) of 9 October 2025 (requests for a preliminary ruling from the Curtea de Apel Bacău – Romania) – On Air Media Professionals SRL (C-416/24), Different Media SRL (C-417/24) v Agenţia pentru Întreprinderi Mici şi Mijlocii Iaşi (Reference for a preliminary ruling – State aid – Regulation (EU) No 651/2014 – Exemption for certain categories of aid compatible with the internal market – Translation error in the Romanian language version of that regulation – Legal effects of the regulation correcting that error – Possibility of recovering aid that was granted before the correction in compliance with the conditions set out in the version of the regulation containing the translation error – Protection of legitimate expectations – Legal certainty)
Date: 2025-10-09
Institutions: Court of Justice
Subjects: State aid, application of EU law, control of State aid, drafting of EU law, principle of legal certainty, regulation (EU), reimbursement of aid, retroactivity of a law, translation








C_202506289EN.000101.fmx.xml












Official Journal of the European Union


EN
C series













C/2025/6289


1.12.2025






Judgment of the Court (First Chamber) of 9 October 2025 (requests for a preliminary ruling from the Curtea de Apel Bacău – Romania) – On Air Media Professionals SRL (C-416/24), Different Media SRL (C-417/24) v Agenţia pentru Întreprinderi Mici şi Mijlocii Iaşi


(Joined Cases C-416/24 and C-417/24,
                (1)
On Air Media Professionals and Different Media)

(Reference for a preliminary ruling - State aid - Regulation (EU) No 651/2014 - Exemption for certain categories of aid compatible with the internal market - Translation error in the Romanian language version of that regulation - Legal effects of the regulation correcting that error - Possibility of recovering aid that was granted before the correction in compliance with the conditions set out in the version of the regulation containing the translation error - Protection of legitimate expectations - Legal certainty)
(C/2025/6289)
Language of the case: Romanian

Referring court

Curtea de Apel Bacău

Parties to the main proceedings


Applicants: On Air Media Professionals SRL (C-416/24), Different Media SRL (C-417/24)

Defendants: Agenţia pentru Întreprinderi Mici şi Mijlocii Iaşi (C-416/24), Ministerul Antreprenoriatului şi Turismului – Agenţia pentru Întreprinderi Mici şi Mijlocii, Atragere de Investiţii şi Promovare a Exportului Iaşi (C-417/24)

Operative part of the judgment







1.


Commission Regulation (EU) 2021/452 of 15 March 2021 correcting the Romanian language version of Regulation (EU) No 651/2014 declaring certain categories of aid compatible with the internal market in application of Articles 107 and 108 [TFEU] must be interpreted as correcting the Romanian language version of Commission Regulation (EU) No 651/2014 of 17 June 2014 declaring certain categories of aid compatible with the internal market in application of Articles 107 and 108 [TFEU] retroactively, as from the date on which that latter regulation entered into force;










2.


The principles of legal certainty and of the protection of legitimate expectations must be interpreted as precluding the recovery, on the basis of Regulation 2021/452, of the aid granted by Romania before the adoption of that regulation by virtue of the aid scheme authorised by Commission Decision C(2020) 5949 final of 27 August 2020 – State Aid SA.58166 (2020/N) – Romania – COVID-19: Support for SMEs and certain related large enterprises to overcome the economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.






(1)  OJ C, C/2024/5601, C/2024/5602.


ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/C/2025/6289/oj
ISSN 1977-091X (electronic edition)