TGS Baltic has successfully represented AS Tartu Agro before the Supreme Court of Estonia.
According to TGS Baltic, “in its decision made at the beginning of 2020, the European Commission found that the Estonian state had granted unlawful state aid to Tartu Agro in the form of an excessively favorable rental price and that this state aid must be recovered from the company. In connection with the decision by the Commission, Estonia ordered a legal opinion from Law Firm Derling Primus (now Walless) and decided not to challenge the Commission’s decision. The Ministry of Rural Affairs submitted a recourse claim concerning the state aid to AS Tartu Agro and the company repaid the corresponding amounts to the state.”
Furthermore, according to the firm, “Tartu Agro challenged the Commission’s decision in the Court of Justice of the European Union and the respective proceedings are still pending. But Tartu Agro was not given access to the legal opinion ordered by the state regarding the Commission's decisions. However, according to the April 18, 2022 judgment of the Supreme Court, the state must give out the legal opinion to Tartu Agro.”
TGS Baltic’s team included Senior Associates Triin Kaurov, Triinu Jarviste, and Mari-Liis Orav and Associate Robin Luts.
Editor's Note: On July 14, 2022, TGS Baltic announced that, in its July 13, 2022, decision, the General Court of the European Union confirmed that "the unlawful state aid decision made against AS Tartu Agro was unlawful. In a long-awaited decision, the General Court of the European Union completely annulled the decision of the European Commission according to which, AS Tartu Agro has received unlawful state aid from the Estonian state."