CELEX: 62017TA0696
Language: en
Date: 2019-09-20 00:00:00
Title: Case T-696/17: Judgment of the General Court of 20 September 2019 — Havenbedrijf Antwerpen and Maatschappij van de Brugse Zeehaven v Commission (State aid — Corporate tax exemption scheme implemented by Belgium in favour of its ports — Decision declaring the aid scheme incompatible with the internal market — Concept of economic activity — Services of general economic interest — Non-economic activities — Separable nature — Selective nature — Request for a transitional period)

2.12.2019   
            
            
               EN
            
            
               Official Journal of the European Union
            
            
               C 406/26
            
         
      Judgment of the General Court of 20 September 2019 — Havenbedrijf Antwerpen and Maatschappij van de Brugse Zeehaven v Commission
      (Case T-696/17) (1)
      
      (State aid - Corporate tax exemption scheme implemented by Belgium in favour of its ports - Decision declaring the aid scheme incompatible with the internal market - Concept of economic activity - Services of general economic interest - Non-economic activities - Separable nature - Selective nature - Request for a transitional period)
      (2019/C 406/34)
      Language of the case: Dutch
      
         Parties
      
      
         Applicants: Havenbedrijf Antwerpen NV (Antwerp, Belgium), Maatschappij van de Brugse Zeehaven NV (Zeebrugge, Belgium) (represented by P. Wytinck, W. Panis and I. Letten, lawyers)
      
         Defendant: European Commission (represented by B. Stromsky and S. Noë, acting as Agents)
      
         Intervener in support of the applicants: Kingdom of Belgium (represented by J.-C. Halleux, P. Cottin, L. Van den Broeck and C. Pochet, acting as Agents, and by A. Lepièce and H. Baeyens, lawyers)
      
         Re:
      
      Action under Article 263 TFEU seeking annulment of Commission Decision (EU) 2017/2115 of 27 July 2017 on aid scheme SA.38393 (2016/C, ex 2015/E) implemented by Belgium — Taxation of ports in Belgium (OJ 2017 L 332, p. 1).
      
         Operative part of the judgment
      
      The Court:
      
                  1.
               
               
                  
                     Dismisses the action;
                  
               
            
                  2.
               
               
                  
                     Orders Havenbedrijf Antwerpen NV and Maatschappij van de Brugse Zeehaven NV to bear their own costs and to pay the costs incurred by the European Commission;
                  
               
            
                  3.
               
               
                  
                     Orders the Kingdom of Belgium to bear its own costs.
                  
               
            
         (1)  OJ C 412, 4.12.2017.