Case Database
Welcome to the Case Database of the ‘Study on the enforcement of State aid rules and decisions by national courts (COMP/2018/001)’. In this Database you can find English summaries of 145 selected national State aid enforcement rulings throughout the EU that have been produced in the context of the Study. The case summaries cover rulings by national courts in 27 Member States (please note that no relevant rulings were identified for Luxembourg) that were handed down in the period between 1 January 2007 and 31 December 2017 (although the Study considered enforcement from 1 January 2007 to 31 December 2017, important rulings decided in 2018 were also included). These rulings represent a sample and were selected on the basis of their legal relevance and novelty within each Member State and at EU level. This means that only those rulings which decide on main legal issues of State aid enforcement were included in the Database (rulings that represent a mere repetition of settled case-law were excluded).
More information on the Study can be found on the Final Study page of the project website.
Search options
You can search for rulings by searching for keywords in the summary and/or by relying on the search filters (i.e. ‘Jurisdiction’, ‘Court’, ‘Date Range’ or ‘Type of Action’). The keyword search and filters can be used as standalone searches or in combination with one another. The examples below outline how the keyword search and the filters can be used effectively:
Keyword search
The keyword search allows you to refine your search using symbols or words for more accurate search results. You have the following options:
- AND – Search for all of the words: Use the connector AND between your keywords when you want multiple search terms to appear in every search result. Using this connector, search results will contain rulings where all search terms are included in the summary of the decision. Example: rescue AND restructuring.
- “…” – Search for an exact phrase: Use quotation marks around your search terms if you would like to identify rulings containing a specific key phrase. Search results will contain only those results which contain the exact phrase in the summary of the ruling. Example: “regional aid”.;
- OR – Search for any of the words: Use OR or a space to search for rulings if you would like to search for alternative keywords. Search results will contain rulings where at least one of your search terms are included in the summary of the ruling. Example: infrastructure OR construction OR airport
- NOT – Search without words: Search results will exclude those rulings where the summary contains the word proceeding the ‘-‘ or the ‘NOT’. This is particularly useful when other keywords have a broad meaning. Example: grant NOT tax
Filter search
You can use each of the four filters as standalone searches, in combination with each other and/or in combination with the keyword search. The four filters available allow you to select a specific:
- Member State: Use the Member State filter to search for rulings from specific Member States. All EU Member States are available except for Luxemburg (for which no rulings were identified);
- Courts: Use the Courts filter to search for rulings handed down by specific courts. The names of the national courts of the Member States whose rulings have been summarised are ordered alphabetically on the basis of the official country code and with the name of the court being displayed in both the national language and in English);
- Delivery date: Use the delivery date filter if you are interested in rulings which have been handed down by courts during a specific time period. There are 3 ways to use this filter: (i) to search for rulings delivered after a specified date, select a date using the selector titled ‘After’. Do not select a date using the selector titled ‘Before’; (ii) to search for rulings delivered before a specified date, select a date using the selector titled ‘Before’. Do not select a date using the selector titled ‘After’; and (iii) to search for rulings delivered between specified dates, select both an ‘After’ and ‘Before’.;
- Type of action: Use the Type of Action filter to search for rulings based on whether they concern public or private enforcement.