| Author (Corporate) | European Commission: DG Competition |
|---|---|
| Publication Date | 17/04/2018 |
| Content Type | News |
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Further information: The European Commission found in March 2008 that Greece had infringed competition rules by giving the state-owned electricity incumbent (PPC) privileged access rights to lignite, and called on the country to propose measures to correct the anti-competitive effects of that infringement. Greece submitted a set of measures to address the situation and made binding by the Commission in August 2009. However, these were never implemented. Both Commission Decisions were appealed by the PPC. In September 2012, the General Court overturned these decisions, putting on hold the implementation of remedy measures by Greece. The Commission then appealed against the General Court's judgment. In July 2014, the Court of Justice set aside the General Court's judgments and referred the cases back to the General Court for a number of non-decided pleas. Finally, in December 2016, the General Court confirmed both decisions, making the Commission's decisions final and binding. In April 2018, the Commission concluded that the amended final version of the remedies submitted by Greece in January 2018 fully addresses the infringement identified by the Commission in its 2008 Decision, while also taking into account Greece's environmental objectives and existing market circumstances. The divestment of a portion of PPC's lignite-fired generation capacity was also included in the Supplemental Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) agreed and signed by Greece and the Commission acting on behalf of the European Stability Mechanism (ESM). |
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| Source Link | http://ec.europa.eu/competition/elojade/isef/case_details.cfm?proc_code=1_38700 |
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| Subject Categories | Energy, Internal Markets |
| Countries / Regions | Europe, Greece |
