The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, restructuring aid of €321.2 million granted by Germany to Condor to enable its return to viability. This decision takes into account the judgment of the General Court from 8 May 2024 annulling a July 2021 decision by the Commission. Condor is a German charter airline, which provides air transport services to individual clients and tour operators from its hubs in Germany, with a focus on the leisure travel market. In September 2019, it had to file for insolvency due to the entry into liquidation of its parent company, the Thomas Cook Group.

The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €612 million Portuguese scheme to lower electricity levy rates for energy-intensive companies. The scheme intends to reduce the risk that these energy-intensive companies relocate their activities to countries outside the EU with less ambitious climate policies. An energy-intensive company is a business that consumes a large amount of energy as a core part of its production process.

The European Commission found that Apple breached its anti-steering obligation under the Digital Markets Act (DMA), and that Meta breached the DMA obligation to give consumers the choice of a service that uses less of their personal data. Therefore, the Commission has fined Apple and Meta with €500 million and €200 million respectively.

The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €400 million Spanish State aid scheme to support the production of renewable hydrogen through the European Hydrogen Bank's "Auctions-as-a-Service" tool for the auction closing in 2025. The scheme will contribute to the objectives of the Clean Industrial Deal to accelerate the decarbonisation of EU industry while strengthening its competitiveness, of the REPowerEU Plan to reduce dependence on Russian fossil fuels and accelerate the green transition, as well as the EU Hydrogen Strategy.

The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €1.5 billion (PLN 6.4 billion) Polish scheme to provide State-supported reinsurance of insurance for transport on the territory of Ukraine. The scheme will contribute to maintaining and facilitating trade flows between Ukraine and Poland, the Member State with the longest land border with Ukraine, that have been disrupted by the ongoing Russian military aggression.  

The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the proposed acquisition of part of the aerospace actuation business of Collins Aerospace by Safran USA Inc. (‘Safran'), controlled by Safran S.A., a leading French aerospace company. The approval is conditional upon full compliance with the commitments offered by Safran.

The Commission has fined 15 major car manufacturers and the European Automobiles Manufacturers' Association (ACEA) a total of around €458 million for participating in a long-lasting cartel concerning end-of-life vehicle recycling. Mercedes-Benz was not fined, as it revealed the cartel to the Commission under the leniency programme. All companies admitted their involvement in the cartel and agreed to settle the case.

The European Commission has concluded that an arbitration award, in which Spain is ordered to pay compensation to Antin for the modification of a renewable electricity support measure, constitutes illegal State aid.

The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €5 billion German scheme to help companies subject to the EU Emission Trading Scheme (‘ETS') decarbonise their production processes. The scheme contributes to the achievement of Germany's energy and climate targets as well as of the EU's sustainable prosperity and competitiveness objectives.

Today, the European Commission sent two sets of preliminary findings to Alphabet for failing to comply with the Digital Markets Act (DMA), regarding two services for which it has been designated as a gatekeeper.

Today, the European Commission adopted two decisions under the Digital Markets Act (DMA) specifying the measures that Apple has to take to comply with certain aspects of its interoperability obligation.

The European Commission has approved a €960 million Czech scheme to support investments in strategic sectors to foster the transition to a net-zero economy. The scheme contributes to the achievement of the priorities of the European Commission for 2024-2029, based on the Political Guidelines, which call for investments in clean energy and technologies. The scheme also contributes to the achievement of the Clean Industrial Deal. The scheme was approved under the State aid Temporary Crisis and Transition Framework (‘TCTF') adopted by the Commission on 9 March 2023 and amended on 20 November 2023 and on 2 May 2024.

The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €400 million Austrian State aid scheme, and a €36 million Lithuanian State aid scheme, to support the production of renewable hydrogen through the European Hydrogen Bank's “Auctions-as-a-Service” tool for the auction closing in 2025. The schemes will contribute to the objectives of the Clean Industrial Deal to accelerate the decarbonisation of EU industry while strengthening its competitiveness, of the REPowerEU Plan to reduce dependence on Russian fossil fuels and accelerate the green transition, as well as the EU Hydrogen Strategy

The European Commission has decided to close its interim measures antitrust proceedings against Lufthansa. In particular, the Commission found that not all the conditions for ordering interim measures under Article 8 of Regulation 1/2003 were met. Such proceedings aimed at ordering the airline to reinstate Condor's access to Lufthansa's feed traffic to and from Frankfurt airport under the conditions the two airlines agreed upon in June 2024.

The European Commission has approved unconditionally, under the EU Merger Regulation, the proposed acquisition of Infinera Corporation by Nokia Corporation. The Commission concluded that the transaction would raise no competition concerns in the European Economic Area (‘EEA').

The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €227 million Austrian measure to support ams Osram in the construction of an advanced manufacturing facility in Premstätten, Austria. The measure will strengthen Europe's security of supply, resilience and technological autonomy in semiconductor technologies, in line with the objectives set out in the European Chips Act Communication and the Political Guidelines for the European Commission 2024-2029.

Following an in-depth investigation, the European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a revised Belgian support measure for the lifetime extension of two nuclear reactors, Doel 4 and Tihange 3.

The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €920 million German aid measure for the construction of a new semiconductor manufacturing plant in Dresden. The measure will allow Infineon to complete the MEGAFAB-DD project which will be able to produce a wide range of different types of chips. This new manufacturing plant will bring flexible production capacity to the EU and thereby strengthen Europe's security of supply, resilience and technological autonomy in semiconductor technologies, in line with the objectives set out in the European Chips Act Communication and the Political Guidelines for the European Commission 2024-2029.

The European Commission has approved a €2.3 billion Finnish scheme to support investments in strategic sectors and to help industrial companies to decarbonise their production processes. The scheme contributes to the achievement of the priorities of the European Commission for 2024-2029, based on the Political Guidelines, which call for investments in clean energy and technologies. The scheme was approved under the State aid Temporary Crisis and Transition Framework (‘TCTF') adopted by the Commission on 9 March 2023 and amended on 20 November 2023 and on 2 May 2024.

The European Commission has launched today a consultation inviting interested stakeholders to comment on its draft amendments to the State aid Implementing Regulation (EC) No 794/2004 (‘draft Implementing Regulation') and to the State aid Best Practices Code (‘amended BPC') with respect to new rules on access to justice following the Aarhus Convention Compliance Committee's findings in case ACCC/C/2015/128.