EStAL - European State Aid Law Quarterly

«
1
»

The search returned 2 results.

Julie Leroy

European State Aid Law Quarterly, Volume 21 (2022), Issue 4, Page 384 - 396

A Member State which violates the standstill-obligation under Article 108(3) TFEU is not directly held responsible for his failure to comply with his obligations under EU law, as it is the aid beneficiary who will be obliged to repay the unlawful (and incompatible) State aid. This contribution evaluates if the aid beneficiary can nevertheless hold the Member State somehow responsible, through a damage claim based on the latter’s extra-contractual liability for the violation of EU law. The Belgian case study shows that such a claim can be successful, as the conditions of Articles 1382-1383 Old Civil Code might be fulfilled. However, the aid beneficiary is in a difficult position. One the one hand, this undertaking bears the ‘risk of proof’. On the other hand, a full compensation will be rare as, amongst others, the aid beneficiary’s own fault might lead to a liability apportionment. Finally, the obligation to repay the unlawful State aid (with interest) as such will never qualify as a damage that is eligible for a compensation, as this would undermine the effectiveness of EU law. Keywords: Article 108(3) TFEU; standstill-obligation; recovery of unlawful (and incompatible) State aid; liability of Member States; Belgium

Łukasz Stępkowski

European State Aid Law Quarterly, Volume 21 (2022), Issue 4, Page 397 - 411

This article addresses the principle of res judicata in the context of rules on State aid, including the case-law of the Court of Justice and the 2021 Commission Notice on the enforcement of State aid rules by national courts. The limits of the principle at issue required by Article 108(3) TFEU and the powers of national courts to recover unlawful aid (with or without a recovery decision from the Commission) are discussed. The law is stated as it stood on 1 January 2022 (with some later developments). The case-law on res judicata referred to here includes the decisions of the Court in Lucchini, Klausner Holz, and CSTP/Buonotourist, with commentary on the practical effect of the Court’s approach. Keywords: Lucchini; Klausner Holz; res judicata; Article 108(3) TFEU; national courts

«
1
»

News

Current Issue