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EU: BT loses state aid fight at EU Court of Justice

By  |  October 22, 2014

The EU’s highest court, the EU Court of Justice, denied BT Group’s efforts to overturn a 2009 order for the onetime telco monopoly to repay what authorities found to be state aid.

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    According to reports, BT Group and its pension fund lost their challenge of the European Commission’s earlier ruling that the company must repay up to $26.6 million in pension rule exemptions, which the Commission found to constitute illegal state aid. Reports say the Court rejected BT’s arguments entirely.

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    The Commission ruled in 2009 that BT’s Pension Scheme, which exempted the company from contributing to Britain’s Pension Protection Fund, gave the company an unfair advantage over rivals. A BT competitor first notified the Commission of the possible anticompetitive behavior.

    In a statement, BT said it was “disappointed” by the ruling.

    Full content: Bloomberg

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