State Aid

General Court dismisses Ryanair's action for annulment of decisions rejecting access to documents

On 10 December 2010, the General Court rejected a series of claims for annulment brought by Ryanair against implied decisions of the Commission refusing access to documents relating to State aids allegedly granted to Ryanair by several airports.

Ryanair sought mainly access to the complaints and comments submitted by its competitors and by a number of Member States. These documents were part of an ongoing formal investigation procedure initiated by the Commission. The Commission denied Ryanair access to such documents primarily on the basis of the third indent of Article 4(2) of Regulation No. 1049/2001, alleging that the disclosure of such document could undermine the purpose of its investigation.