If You Have Just One Shot – Aim Well: How to Make an Effective Complaint

I. Introduction Ryanair is no stranger to the European Commission and the EU Courts, and has been involved in numerous State aid cases, both as aid beneficiary and as complainant. The possibility for “interested parties” to make complaints to the Commission about contraventions of State aid is an important tool for private companies to safeguard fair competition in the market place. However, as this case1 illustrates, the formal requirements for making a complaint should not be taken lightly. This is particularly so when a company seeks to bring simultaneously a complaint about an infringement of the State aid rules and of the antitrust rules contained in Articles 101 and 102 TFEU. In th...