EU court upholds ruling on Commission review of Dutch licence extensions
The Court of Justice of the European Union dismissed the Netherlands’ appeal on 16 October in a case concerning gambling monopoly licences extended in 2014 without an open tender. The court confirmed that the European Commission had not properly investigated a state-aid complaint, but did not rule on whether unlawful aid occurred. The complaint was made by the European Gaming and Betting Association, which said the Commission is expected to open an investigation.
The ruling requires proper scrutiny of the complaint but does not establish whether the licence extensions involved unlawful aid.