Republic of Estonia v. Commission of the European Communities

Summary:

In 2006, the Republic of Estonia notified the Commission of its NAP for the period from 2008 to 2012. In 2007, the Commission held that its NAP was incompatible with the criteria set forth in Directive 2003/87 and decided that the total annual quantities of emission allowances should be reduced to 47.8% less than that proposed. Estonia appealed the Commission’s decision. As a preliminary issue, the Court held that each member state is to decide, on the basis of its NAP, on the total quantity of allowances it will allocate for a period in question, and the Commission’s power to review these NAPs is very restricted. The Court held that the Commission did not properly examine the NAP and infringed on the principle of sound administration.

At Issue: Challenge to Commission’s decision, which held that Estonia’s NAP was inconsistent with Directive 2003/87