Brussels, 10/05/2016 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 10 May, the General Court dismissed the action brought by Germany and therefore upheld the Commission decision that approved the 2012 German law on renewable energies (EEG 2012), even though it included state aid.
In November 2014, the Commission endorsed the German aid system in favour of renewable energies, whilst ordering a partial recovery (see EUROPE 11204). The aid was funded from a levy applied to electricity suppliers and passed on to end consumers. Energy-intensive companies received reductions on the amount they were to pay to their electricity suppliers.
In its decision (case T-47/15), which focuses on a German law that has since been replaced by another (EGG 2014) and approved by the Commission (see EUROPE 11127), the General Court considers that the Commission was right to rule that the reduction from the levy plan for 2012 ("EEG surcharge") for certain electricity-intensive undertakings gave them an advantage under Union regulation on state aid and the law involved using state resources. (Original version in French by Jan Kordys)