CELEX: 62012TA0500
Language: en
Date: 2015-02-05 00:00:00
Title: Case T-500/12: Judgment of the General Court of 5 February 2015  — Ryanair v Commission (State aid — Irish tax on air passengers — Lower rate for destinations no more than 300 km from Dublin — Decision declaring the aid incompatible with the internal market and ordering its recovery — Advantage — Selective nature — Identification of the beneficiaries of the aid — Article 14 of Regulation (EC) No 659/1999 — Obligation to state reasons)

23.3.2015   
            
            
               EN
            
            
               Official Journal of the European Union
            
            
               C 96/13
            
         Judgment of the General Court of 5 February 2015 — Ryanair v Commission
   (Case T-500/12) (1)
   
   ((State aid - Irish tax on air passengers - Lower rate for destinations no more than 300 km from Dublin - Decision declaring the aid incompatible with the internal market and ordering its recovery - Advantage - Selective nature - Identification of the beneficiaries of the aid - Article 14 of Regulation (EC) No 659/1999 - Obligation to state reasons))
   (2015/C 096/16)
   Language of the case: English
   
      Parties
   
   
      Applicant: Ryanair Ltd (Dublin, Ireland) (represented by: B. Kennelly, Barrister, E. Vahida and I.-G. Metaxas-Maragkidis, lawyers)
   
      Defendant: European Commission (represented by: L. Flynn, D. Grespan and T. Maxian Rusche, acting as Agents)
   
      Intervener in support of the applicant: Aer Lingus Ltd (Dublin, Ireland) (represented by: K. Bacon, D. Scannell, D. Bailey, Barristers, and A. Burnside, Solicitor)
   
      Intervener in support of the defendant: Ireland (represented by: E. Creedon, A. Joyce and J. Quaney, acting as Agents, assisted by E. Regan, SC, and B. Doherty, Barrister)
   
      Re:
   
   Application for annulment of Commission Decision 2013/199/EU of 25 July 2012 on State aid Case SA.29064 (11/C, ex 11/NN) — Differentiated air travel tax rates implemented by Ireland (OJ 2013 L 119, p. 30).
   
      Operative part of the judgment
   
   The Court:
   
               1.
            
            
               Annuls Article 4 of Commission Decision 2013/199/EU of 25 July 2012 on State aid Case SA.29064 (11/C, ex 11/NN) — Differentiated air travel tax rates implemented by Ireland, in so far as it orders the recovery of the aid from the beneficiaries for an amount which is set at EUR 8 per passenger in recital 70 of that decision;
            
         
               2.
            
            
               Dismisses the action as to the remainder;
            
         
               3.
            
            
               Orders the European Commission to pay its own costs, as well as half of the costs incurred by Ryanair Ltd;
            
         
               4.
            
            
               Orders Ryanair to pay half of its own costs;
            
         
               5.
            
            
               Orders Aer Lingus Ltd and Ireland to bear their own costs.
            
         
      (1)  OJ C 26, 26.1.2013.