The EU General Court annuls the approval decision of the Commission on the recapitalisation of a German airline company in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic (Ryanair / Condor)

The General Court annuls the decision of the Commission to approve the recapitalisation of Lufthansa by Germany, amounting to €6 billion euros, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic* The Commission committed several errors, in particular, by considering that Lufthansa was unable to obtain financing on the markets for the entirety of its needs, by failing to require a mechanism incentivising Lufthansa to buy back Germany’s shareholding as quickly as possible, by denying that Lufthansa held significant market power at certain airports, and by accepting various commitments that do not ensure that effective competition on the market is preserved. On 12 June 2020, the Federal Republic of Germany notified the European Commission of individual aid in the form of a recapitalisation of €6