CELEX: 62018TA0316
Language: en
Date: 2020-10-15 00:00:00
Title: Case T-316/18: Judgment of the General Court of 15 October 2020 — První novinová společnost v Commission (State aid — Postal sector — Universal service obligation — Decision not to raise any objections — Safeguarding procedural rights — Duration of the procedure — Complete and sufficient examination of the case by the Commission — Compensation for the discharge of the universal service obligation — Service of general economic interest — Directive 97/67/EC — Net avoided cost methodology — Obligation to state reasons)

14.12.2020   
            
            
               EN
            
            
               Official Journal of the European Union
            
            
               C 433/42
            
         
      Judgment of the General Court of 15 October 2020 — První novinová společnost v Commission
      (Case T-316/18) (1)
      
      (State aid - Postal sector - Universal service obligation - Decision not to raise any objections - Safeguarding procedural rights - Duration of the procedure - Complete and sufficient examination of the case by the Commission - Compensation for the discharge of the universal service obligation - Service of general economic interest - Directive 97/67/EC - Net avoided cost methodology - Obligation to state reasons)
      (2020/C 433/51)
      Language of the case: English
      
         Parties
      
      
         Applicant: První novinová společnost a.s., successor in law to Mediaservis s.r.o. (Prague, Czech Republic) (represented by: D. Vosol and C. Schneider, lawyers)
      
         Defendant: European Commission (represented by: L. Flynn, D. Recchia and K. Blanck, acting as Agents)
      
         Interveners in support of the defendant: Czech Republic (represented by: M. Smolek, J. Vláčil, T. Müller and I. Gavrilová, acting as Agents), Česká pošta s. p. (Prague) (represented by: P. Kadlec, lawyer)
      
         Re:
      
      Application under Article 263 TFEU for annulment of Commission Decision C(2018) 753 final of 19 February 2018, State aid SA.45281 (2017/N) and State aid SA. 44859 (2016/FC), declaring that the compensations granted by the Czech Republic to Česká pošta for the performance of its postal activities under a universal service obligation for the period 2013 to 2017 constitute State aid compatible with the internal market, pursuant to Article 106(2) TFEU.
      
         Operative part of the judgment
      
      The Court:
      
                  1.
               
               
                  Dismisses the action;
               
            
                  2.
               
               
                  Orders První novinová společnost a.s., successor in law to Mediaservis s. r. o., to bear its own costs and to pay those incurred by the European Commission;
               
            
                  3.
               
               
                  Orders the Czech Republic and Česká pošta s. p. to bear their own costs.
               
            
         (1)  OJ C 276, 6.8.2018.