CELEX: C2000/006/55
Language: en
Date: 2000-01-08 00:00:00
Title: Case T-238/99: Action brought on 15 October 1999 by P.C.P. van Oppen-Veger, trading as Service Station formerly operating as J.P. Veger, against the Commission of the European Communities

8.1.2000              EN                      Official Journal of the European Communities                                        C 6/31
The Commission further infringed its duty to clarify the facts           Action brought on 15 October 1999 by P.C.P. van Oppen-
in a neutral and unprejudiced manner, by giving preference to            Veger, trading as Service Station formerly operating as
Bundesverband deutscher Banken over other parties concerned              J.P. Veger, against the Commission of the European
and presenting the facts in a biased way. The Decision infringes                                   Communities
the obligation to state reasons under Article 253 EC. A
central part of the Decision, the determination of ‘reasonable
                                                                                                  (Case T-238/99)
remuneration’ at 12 % after tax, is not comprehensible and
the bases of the calculation are not evident. The Commission
also fails to distinguish between the indicative figures for                                       (2000/C 6/55)
return on equity (RoE) and return on investment (RoI) and
confuses rates of return before tax with rates after tax. The
reference to the Crédit Lyonnais decision as a starting-point                               (Language of the Case: Dutch)
for the rate of return used does not satisfy the requirement to
state reasons. Finally, the Commission in the Decision fails
to address essential arguments of the Federal Republic of                An action against the Commission of the European Communi-
Germany.                                                                 ties was brought before the Court of First Instance of the
                                                                         European Communities on 15 October 1999 by P.C.P. van
                                                                         Oppen-Veger, trading as Service Station formerly operating
                                                                         as J.P. Veger, of Maria Hoop (Netherlands), represented by
                                                                         P.J.M. Brouwers, of the Meerssen Bar.
The Commission based the Decision on a fundamentally                     The applicant claims that the Court should:
incorrect approach by applying for the first time the criterion
of an ’average return’ as the minimum expected return to a               (a) annul, at least in part, the Commission’s decision (C(1999)
capital injection from public funds in a profitably operating                2539 final) (1) of 20 July 1999 concerning State aid granted
public undertaking. It thus exceeded its powers to control aid.              by the Netherlands to 633 service stations in the region
Article 295 EC protects the business activity of the public                  bordering Germany;
sector and thus restricts inter alia the Commission’s jurisdiction
with respect to the application of Article 87(1) EC. Business            (b) order the Commission to pay the costs.
activity of the State excludes the presence of ’aid granted
through State resources’ within the meaning of Article 87(1)
EC in the case of profitable undertakings. The Commission,               Pleas in law and main arguments
extending the concept of aid too far, wrongly applies the
criterion of the capital investor acting in market-economy
conditions to capital injections in profitably operating under-          The pleas in law and main arguments are the same as in Case
takings. The public sector as investor is allowed a broad margin         T-210/99.
of discretion for capital injections in profitably operating
undertakings.
                                                                         (1) OJ L 280 of 30.10.1999, p. 87.
The Commission impermissibly requires an average return as
a minimum expected return for capital injections from public
funds. In so doing the Commission disregards the particular
structure and business activity of WestLB and the particular             Action brought on 18 October 1999 by J.J.L. Alofs, trading
objectives and legal form of the Wfa assets. The Wfa assets              as Auto Service Center Alofs, against the Commission of
absorbed are not comparable with capital which may be freely                              the European Communities
invested but are earmarked for public house-building support
and are directed to the public good rather than to making a
profit. By integrating the Wfa into WestLB, considerable                                          (Case T-239/99)
synergy effects have been achieved.
                                                                                                   (2000/C 6/56)
                                                                                            (Language of the Case: Dutch)
                                                                         An action against the Commission of the European Communi-
                                                                         ties was brought before the Court of First Instance of the
                                                                         European Communities on 18 October 1999 by J.J.L. Alofs,
                                                                         trading as Auto Service Center Alofs, of Arnhem (Netherlands),
                                                                         represented by S.C. Struycken-Veenhoff, of the Nijmegen Bar.