Order of the General Court (Third Chamber) of 11 July 2019 –
Vattenfall Europe Nuclear Energy v Commission
(Case T‑674/18)
(Action for annulment — State aid — 16th Law amending the Law on Nuclear Energy (Atomgesetz) — Implementation of a judgment of the Bundesverfassungsgericht (German Federal Constitutional Court) — Companies operating nuclear power stations — Cessation of operation — Financial compensation for the amounts of electricity not generated — Letter from the Commission — No requirement for formal notification under Article 108(3) TFEU — Act not open to challenge — Inadmissibility)
Action for annulment — Actionable measures — Meaning — Measures producing binding legal effects — Assessment by reference to objective criteria — Commission letter stating the purpose of the 16th Law amending the Law on Nuclear Energy, namely seeking exclusively to implement the requirements laid down by a judgment of the Federal Constitution Court without having to notify it under Article 108(3) TFEU — Not included
(Arts 108(3) TFEU and 263 TFEU)
(see paras 33-41)
Re:
Action under Article 263 TFEU seeking annulment of the decision allegedly contained in the Commission’s letter of 4 July 2018, signed by the Commission’s Deputy Director-General for Competition and addressed to the Federal Republic of Germany.
Operative part
1. |
The action is dismissed as inadmissible. |
2. |
There is no longer any need to adjudicate on the application of the Federal Republic of Germany for leave to intervene. |
3. |
Vattenfall Europe Nuclear Energy GmbH shall bear its own costs and pay those incurred by the European Commission. |
4. |
The Federal Republic of Germany, Vattenfall Europe Nuclear Energy and the Commission shall each bear their own respective costs relating to the application for leave to intervene. |