A PYMNTS Company

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.

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.

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

Want more news? Subscribe to CPI’s free daily newsletter for more headlines and updates on antitrust developments around the world.