CELEX: C1997/142/07
Language: en
Date: 1997-05-10 00:00:00
Title: JUDGMENT OF THE COURT of 20 March 1997 in Case C-24/95 (reference for a preliminary ruling from the Bundesverwaltungsgericht): Land Rheinland-Pfalz v. Alcan Deutschland GmbH, in the presence of the Oberbundesanwalt beim Bundesverwaltungsgericht (State aid - Recovery - Application of national law - Limits)

No C 142/4             EN                   Official Journal of the European Communities                                     10 . 5 . 97
               JUDGMENT OF THE COURT                                        aid incompatible with the common market and
                       of 20 March 1997                                     ordering recovery, even where such recovery is
                                                                            excluded by national law because the gain no longer
in Case C-24/95 (reference for a preliminary ruling from                    exists, in the absence of bad faith on the part of the
the Bundesverwaltungsgericht ): Land Rheinland-Pfalz v.                     recipient of the aid.
Alcan Deutschland GmbH, in the presence of the
    Oberbundesanwalt beim Bundesverwaltungsgericht (')
                                                                       H OJ No C 74 , 25 . 3 . 1995 .
(State aid — Recovery — Application of national law —
                              Limits)
                          197IC 142/07)
                (Language of the case: German)
                                                                                      JUDGMENT OF THE COURT
                                                                                              of 20 March 1997
   (Provisional translation; the definitive translation will be
           published in the European Court Reports)                    in Case C-57/95 : French Republic, supported by the
                                                                       Kingdom of Spain v. Commission of the European
                                                                                                 Communities ( ] )
In Case C-24/95 : reference to the Court under Article 177
                                                                       (Commission       communication       — Internal market —
of the EC Treaty from the Bundesverwaltungsgericht
( Federal Administrative Court) for a preliminary ruling in                                       Pension funds)
the proceedings pending before that court between Land                                            ( 97/C 142/08 )
Rheinland-Pfalz and Alcan Deutschland GmbH, in the
presence of the Oberbundesanwalt beim Bundesverwal­
tungsgericht, on the interpretation of Articles 92 and 93 ( 3 )
of the EC Treaty with regard to the obligation of national                              (Language of the case: French)
authorities to recover unlawful State aid where national
rules protecting the recipient of aid give rise to difficulties
— the Court, composed of: G. C. Rodriguez Iglesias,
President, J. C. Moitinho de Almeida and J. L. Murray,                   (Provisional translation; the definitive translation will be
Presidents of Chambers, P. J. G. Kapteyn, C. Gulmann,                            published in the European Court Reports)
D. A. O. Edward, J. -P. Puissochet, G. Hirsch, P. Jann
( Rapporteur ), H. Ragnemalm and M. Wathelet, Judges;
F. G. Jacobs, Advocate-General; H. A. Rühl, Principal                  In Case C-57/95 : French Republic (Agents : Edwige
Administrator, for the Registrar, has given a judgment on              Belliard and Claude Chavance ), supported by the
20 March 1997, in which it has ruled:                                  Kingdom of Spain ( Agents: Alberto Jose Navarro
                                                                       Gonzalez and Rosario Silva de Lapuerta ) v. Commission
                                                                       of the European Communities ( Agent: Dimitrios
 1 . Community law requires the competent authority to                 Gouloussis ) — application for annulment of Commission
      revoke a decision granting unlawful aid, in accordance           Communication 94/C 360/08 on an internal market for
      with a final decision of the Commission declaring the            pension funds ( OJ No C 360, 17. 12 . 1994, p. 7 ) — the
      aid incompatible with the common market and                      Court, composed of: G. C. Rodriguez Iglesias, President,
      ordering recovery, even if the authority has allowed             J. C. Moitinho de Almeida , J. L. Murray and L. Sevón
      the time-limit laid down for that purpose under                  ( Presidents of Chambers ), C. N. Kakouris, P. J. G.
      national law in the interest of legal certainty to elapse.       Kapteyn ( Rapporteur ), C. Gulmann, G. Hirsch, P. Jann ,
                                                                       H. Ragnemalm and M. Wathelet, Judges; G. Tesauro,
                                                                       Advocate-General ; L. Hewlett, Administrator, for the
2 . Community law requires the competent authority to -                Registrar, has given a judgment on 20 March 1997, in
      revoke a decision granting unlawful aid, in accordance           which it :
      with a final decision of the Commission declaring the
      aid incompatible with the common market and
      ordering recovery, even if the competent authority is
                                                                       1.   annuls the Commission Communication on an internal
      responsible for the illegality of the aid decision to such
      a degree that revocation appears to be a breach of                    market for pension funds (94/C 360/08);
      good faith towards the recipient, where the latter
      could not have had a legitimate expectation that the
      aid was lawful because the procedure laid down in                2 . orders the Commission to pay the costs.
      Article 93 of the Treaty had not been followed.
                                                                       (') OJ No C 101 , 22 . 4 . 1995 .
3 . Community law requires the competent authority to
      revoke a decision granting unlawful aid, in accordance
      with a final decision of the Commission declaring the