Arbitration Rules | ICSID Rules of Procedure for Arbitration Proceedings 2006 |
C-[#] | The Claimants’ Exhibit |
Cl. Mem. | The Claimants’ Memorial on the Merits dated 26 February 2016 |
Cl. PHB | The Claimants’ Post Hearing Brief dated 28 July 2017, as revised on 7 August 2017 |
Cl. Rej. | The Claimants’ Rejoinder on Jurisdiction dated 2 March 2017 |
Cl. Reply | The Claimants’ Reply on the Merits and Counter-Memorial on Jurisdiction dated 11 November 2016 |
CL-[#] | The Claimants’ Legal Authority |
Cl. Skeleton | The Claimants’ Skeleton of the Case dated 24 April 2017 |
ECT | Energy Charter Treaty, adopted in Lisbon on 17 December 1994 |
Hearing | Hearing on the merits and jurisdiction held in Paris, France on 15-20 May 2017 |
ICSID Convention | Convention on the Settlement of Investment Disputes Between States and Nationals of Other States dated 18 March 1965 |
ICSID or the Centre | International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes |
R-[#] | The Respondent’s Exhibit |
RE | Renewable Energy |
Resp. C-Mem. | The Respondent’s Counter-Memorial on the Merits and Memorial on Jurisdiction dated 20 May 2016 |
Resp. PHB | The Respondent’s Post Hearing Brief dated 14 July 2017 |
Resp. Rej. | The Respondent’s Rejoinder on the Merits and Reply on Jurisdiction dated 19 January 2017 |
Resp. Skeleton | The Respondent’s Skeleton of the Case dated 5 May 2017 |
RL-[#] | The Respondent’s Legal Authority |
RfA | The Claimants’ Request for Arbitration dated 16 December 2014 |
Tr. Day [#] [Speaker(s)] [page:line] | Transcript of the Hearing |
Tribunal | Arbitral Tribunal constituted on 4 November 2015 |
"Ruling:
(i) Subject to (ii) below, the European Commission’s Application for Leave to Intervene as a Non-Disputing Party dated June 21, 2016 is accepted with respect to sub-paragraphs 27(i) and (ii) of the Application.
(ii) The deadline for filing of the European Commission’s written amicus curiae submission will be one month from the date of this Order. The submission will be limited to the matters of jurisdiction identified in the Application, and will be limited to 25 pages in length (following the same format as the Application). No permission is given to the European Commission to attend any hearing in these proceedings.
(iii) The Application is rejected with respect to its sub-paragraph 27(iii). Accordingly, the European Commission shall have no access to the documents filed in this case.
(iv) There be no order as to costs (either with respect to the determination of the Application or the subsequent consideration and determination of such written amicus curiae submission as is submitted in accordance with the above)."
Exhibit C-0336 (Iberdrola Presentation "Renewable Energies in Spain: New Regulation (RD 661-2007)" dated 29 May 2007); Exhibit C-0337 (Iberdrola’s Presentation "Renewable Energies in Spain: New Regulation (RD 661-2007)" dated 22 October 2009); and Exhibit C-0338 (Iberdrola Renovables, S.A. and Subsidiaries Audit Report, Consolidated Financial Statements and Consolidated Management Report for the year ended December 31, 2010 dated 22 February 2011). The Tribunal also authorised the Respondent to add into the record: Iberdrola’s presentation called "Renewable Energies: New Regulation", dated 17 March 2004. This presentation was filed by the Respondent on 10 May 2017 as Exhibit R-0339.
Tribunal :
Mr Samuel Wordsworth QC President
Ms Anna Joubin-Bret Arbitrator
Mr Judd L. Kessler Arbitrator
ICSID Secretariat :
Ms Mercedes Cordido-Freytes de Kurowski Secretary of the Tribunal
For the Claimants :
Counsel:
Mr Antonio Vazquez-Guillen Allen & Overy LLP
Mr Jeffrey Sullivan Allen & Overy LLP
Mr Antonio Jimenez-Blanco Allen & Overy LLP
Ms Marie Stoyanov Allen & Overy LLP
Ms Virginia Allan Allen & Overy LLP
Mr David Ingle Allen & Overy LLP
Mr Tomasz Hara Allen & Overy LLP
Ms Stephanie Hawes Allen & Overy LLP
Mr Gonzalo Jimenez-Blanco Allen & Overy LLP
Parties:
Mr Jutta Dissen Innogy (RWE)
Mr Gunnar Helberg Innogy (RWE)
For the Respondent:
Counsel:
Mr Diego Santacruz Ministry of Justice
Mr Francisco Javier Torres Ministry of Justice
Ms Elena Oñoro Ministry of Justice
Mr Antolín Fernández Ministry of Justice
Ms Patricia Frohlingsdorf Ministry of Justice
Parties:
Ms Carmen López IDEA
Ms Carmen María Roa IDEA
Court Reporter(s) :
Ms Claire Hill English-Language Court Reporter (The Court Reporter Ltd)
Mr Leandro Iezzi Spanish-Language Court Reporter (DR-Steno)
Ms Luciana Sosa Spanish-Language Court Reporter (DR-Steno)
Interpreters:
Mr Jesús Getan Bornn English-Spanish Interpreter
Ms Amalia Thaler de Klemm English-Spanish Interpreter
Ms Roxana Dazin English-Spanish Interpreter
On behalf of the Claimants:
Witnesses:
Mr Hans Bünting Innogy (RWE)
Mr Robert Navarro Innogy (RWE)
Mr Alan Henderson Innogy (RWE)
Experts:
Mr Pablo Spiller Compass Lexecon
Mr Antón García Compass Lexecon
Mr Alan Rozenberg Compass Lexecon
Mr Rui Pratinha Compass Lexecon
On behalf of the Respondent :
Witness:
Mr Juan Ayuso
IDEA
Experts:
Mr David Mitchell BDO
Mr Gervase Macgregor BDO
Ms Susan Blower BDO
Mr Eduardo Pérez BDO
Mr Javier Espel BDO
Mr Manuel Vargas BDO
i) "Spain has breached its obligation to accord, at all times, FET to the Claimants’ investments. This is because:
a. Spain’s measures have violated the Claimants' reasonable and legitimate expectations at the time the relevant investment decisions were made;
b. Spain has failed to provide a stable and predictable regulatory framework;
c. Spain’s implementation of the New Regime was not transparent, and the New Regime does not provide certainty as to the economic and regulatory regime that will apply to the Claimants’ investments in Spain from now on;
d. Spain’s actions are profoundly unreasonable, as Spain’s justifications behind the measures (the Tariff Deficit and overcapacity of the RE infrastructure) are the result of Spain's own regulatory decisions; and
e. Spain’s actions are disproportionate, as there is no reasonable relationship between the burden imposed on the Claimants' investments and the stated goal of addressing the Tariff Deficit. Spain's measures had a disproportionate impact on RWE's investments - significantly reducing the fair market value of the Claimants' investments and causing damages in an amount superior to EUR 275 million - and were adopted notwithstanding Spain's alternative options to adopt less harmful measures with respect to ECT-protected investments.
ii) Spain caused substantial impairment of the Claimants' investments through unreasonable measures; and
iii) Spain's wrongful measures depart from the obligations it entered into with respect to the Claimants' investments, in breach of the umbrella clause under Article 10(1) of the ECT (the Umbrella Clause). Those obligations, specifically to "grandfather" the Claimants' already-existing installations, i.e., not to subject them to future tariff reviews, were endorsed in RD 436/2004, and RD 661/2007, as well as in the July 2010 Agreement and RD 1614/2010, regarding the 'guaranteed' application of the RD 661 economic regime going forward."5
(i) "declaring that Spain has violated Articles 10 and 13 of the ECT, as well as its obligations under the applicable rules and principles of international law;
(ii) requiring that Spain make full reparation to the Claimants for the injury or loss to their investments arising out of Spain's violations of the ECT and international law, by way of: (1) full restitution to the Claimants by reinstating the legal and regulatory framework in place before the issuance of, including but not limited to, Law 15/2012, RDL 2/2013, RDL 9/2013, Law 24/2013, RD 413/2014 and the Ministerial Order; or (2) full compensation to the Claimants for all losses suffered by them as a result of Spain's violations of the ECT and international law, in an amount to be determined in the course of these proceedings, including interest on all amounts awarded at a reasonable rate;
(iii) directing Spain to pay all costs incurred in connection with these arbitration proceedings, including the costs of the arbitrators and ICSID, as well as the legal and other expenses incurred by the Claimants, including but not limited to the fees of their legal counsel, experts and consultants and those of the Claimants’ own employees, on a full indemnity basis, plus interest thereon at a reasonable rate;
(iv) directing Spain to pay post-award interest, compounded monthly, on the amounts awarded until full payment thereof; and
(v) any other relief the Arbitral Tribunal may deem appropriate in the circumstances."6
(i) "DECLARING that Spain has breached Article 10(1) of the ECT; and
(ii) ORDERING that Spain:
a. provide full restitution to the Claimants by re-establishing the situation which existed prior to Spain's breaches of the ECT, together with compensation for all losses suffered before restitution; or
b. pay the Claimants compensation for all losses suffered as a result of Spain's breaches of the ECT; and
in any event:
a. pay the Claimants pre-award interest at a rate of 7.61% compounded monthly; and
b. pay the Claimants post-award interest, at a rate of 7.61% compounded monthly from the date of the award until full payment thereof; and
c. pay the Claimants the costs of this arbitration on a full-indemnity basis, including all expenses that the Claimants have incurred or will incur in respect of the fees and expenses of the arbitrators, ICSID, legal counsel, experts and consultants; and
d. any other relief that the Tribunal may deem just and proper."7
"The Claimants repeat the relief set out at paragraph 580 of the Memorial and also ask the Tribunal to dismiss all of Spain’s jurisdictional objections. In addition to the reservation of rights contained at paragraph 581 of the Memorial, the Claimants also reserve their right to address any discrepancies that the Claimants subsequently discover between the English and the Spanish versions of Spain’s Counter-Memorial, the Claimants having relied on the English translation."9
"Insofar as Spain’s jurisdictional Objections are concerned (and in addition to the relief set out at paragraph 580 of the Claimants’ Memorial and paragraph 736 of the Claimants’ Reply), the Claimants hereby request the Tribunal to:
• dismiss both of Spain’s jurisdictional Objections; and
• order that Spain bear the Claimants’ costs associated with these jurisdictional Objections."10
a) "Declare its lack of jurisdiction over the claims of the Claimants or, if applicable, the inadmissibility of said claims.
b) Secondarily, in the event that the Arbitral Tribunal decides that it has jurisdiction to hear this dispute, to dismiss all the claims of the Claimants regarding the Merits, as the Kingdom of Spain has not breached the ECT in any way, pursuant to section III herein, with regard to the Merits.
c) Secondarily, to dismiss all the Claimant's claims for damages as the Claimant has no right to compensation, in accordance with section V herein; and
d) Order the Claimant to pay all costs and expenses derived from this arbitration, including ICSID administrative expenses, arbitrators' fees, and the fees of the legal representatives of the Kingdom of Spain, their experts and advisors, as well as any other cost or expense that has been incurred, all of this including a reasonable rate of interest from the date on which these costs are incurred until the date of their actual payment."11
a) "Declare its lacks of jurisdiction to hear the claims of the Claimants, or if applicable their inadmissibility, in accordance with what is set forth in section III of this Document, referring to Jurisdictional Objections;
b) Secondarily, for the case that the Arbitral Tribunal decides that it has jurisdiction to hear this dispute, that it dismiss all the claims of the Claimants on the merits because the Kingdom of Spain has not breached in any way the ECT, in accordance with what is stated in paragraphs (A) and (B) of section IV of this Document, on the substance of the matter;
c) Secondarily, to dismiss all the Claimants' claims for damages as said claims are not entitled to compensation, in accordance with section V of this Document; and
d) Sentence the Claimants to pay all costs and expenses derived from this arbitration, including ICSID administrative expenses, arbitrators' fees, and the fees of the legal representatives of the Kingdom of Spain, their experts and advisors, as well as any other cost or expense that has been incurred, all of this including a reasonable rate of interest from the date on which these costs are incurred and the date of their actual payment."13
"1. The activities involved in the supply of electric power shall be remunerated economically in the manner provided by this Act, as charged to the rates and prices paid.
2. To determine the rates and prices that consumers must pay, the remuneration of activities shall be stipulated in regulations with objective, transparent and non-discriminatory criteria that act as an incentive to improve the effectiveness of management, the economic and technical efficiency of said activities and the quality of the electricity supply."16
"4. The remuneration arrangements for electric power generation installations operating under the special regime shall be supplemented by the payment of a premium under statutory terms set out in regulations and in the following cases:
a) The installations referred to in letter a) of point 1 in article 27.
b) Hydroelectric power stations whose installed capacity is equal to or less than 10 MW and all other installations referred to by letter b) of point 1 in article 27.
For the purposes of this Act, neither solid urban waste nor hazardous waste shall be considered biomass.
c) Hydroelectric plants of between 10 and 50 MW, the installations referred to in letter c) of point 1 of article 27 as well as the installations mentioned in the second paragraph of point 1 in article 27.
To work out the premiums, the voltage level on delivery of the power to the network, the effective contribution to environmental improvement, to primary energy saving and energy efficiency, the generation of economically justifiable useful heat and the investment costs incurred shall all be taken into account so as to achieve reasonable profitability rates with reference to the cost of money on capital markets."18
"defining, within each technology and according to the state of the art existing from time to time, different standard facilities. Once these standard facilities had been determined, different standards were established in each one of them (investment cost, operation cost, useful life of the plant, hours of rewarded production, market price) that allowed such plant to reach, in a given period of time (useful life), a reasonable return according to the cost of money in the capital market."35
"Whichever remuneration mechanism is chosen, the Royal Decree guarantees operators of special regime installations fair remuneration for their investments and an equally fair allocation to electricity consumers of the costs that can be attributed to the electricity system although incentives are offered for market participation because this is deemed to be the way to minimise administrative intervention in the setting of electricity prices as well as to better, and more efficiently allocate the system costs especially with respect to deviation (differences) management and the provision of ancillary services."
"2. The tariffs, premiums, incentives and supplements resulting from any of the revisions provided for in this section shall come into force on January 1st of the second year subsequent to the year that the revision has been carried out.
3. The tariffs, premiums, incentives and supplements resulting from any of the revisions provided for in this section shall apply solely to the plants that commence operating subsequent to the date of the entry into force referred to in the paragraph above and shall not have a backdated effect on any previous tariffs and premiums."40
"Notwithstanding the provisions of article 40, whenever group b.2 [installations that solely use wind power as primary energy] reaches 13,000 MW of installed capacity the figures for the tariffs, incentives and premiums stated in this article shall undergo revision."41
"(b) Minimize regulatory uncertainty. The NEC [National Energy Commission] understands that transparency and predictability in the future of economic incentives reduce regulatory uncertainty, incentivising investments in new capacity and minimizing the cost of financing, thus reducing the final cost to the consumer. The regulation must offer sufficient guarantees to ensure that the economic incentives are stable and predictable throughout the service life of the facility. In each case, regulation must provide both transparent annual adjustment mechanisms, associated to robust trend indexes (such as the average or reference tariff, the CPI, ten-year bonds, etc.) and regular reviews that only affect new facilities (e.g. every four years) with regard to investment costs, which could also affect the reduction of operating costs at existing facilities."68
"As shown both in the scientific doctrine and case law, in a social and democratic State of Law the principles of legal certainty and protection of legitimate expectations cannot be built on insurmountable obstacles to the innovation of a body of law, nor can they be used as instruments to petrify current Law at any moment. In other words, the principle of legal certainty is not by definition as anti-evolutionary or conservative principle; it does not mean that legislation is resistant or immune to reform. In this sense, these principles do not impede dynamic innovation.... Thus the principles only require that regulatory innovation—especially if sudden, unpredictable or unexpected—be carried out with certain guarantees and caution (sufficient transition periods for adaptation and, where applicable, compensatory measures) that cushion, moderate and minimise as far as possible the defrauding [sic] of expectations generated by previous regulations."69
"First of all, the growth seen in the special regime over recent years tied to the experience accumulated during the application of Royal Decree 2818/1998, of 23 December and Royal Decree 436/2004, of 12 March, has shown the need to regulate certain technical aspects in order to contribute to the growth of those technologies, while maintaining the security of the electrical system and ensuring the quality of supply, and minimising the restrictions on the production of electricity generated in this manner. In view of the behaviour of the prices in the market, where certain variables which were not considered in the cited compensation system for the special regime have, over recent times, acquired greater importance, the economic circumstances established by Royal Decree 436/2004, of 12 March, make it necessary to modify the compensation system and de-link it from the Mean Electricity Tariff, or Reference Tariff, which has been used to date. Finally, it is necessary to include the changes in the legislation deriving from European law, and from Royal Decree-Law 7/2006...."73
"The economic framework established in the present Royal Decree develops the principles provided in Law 54/1997, of 27 November, on the Electricity Sector, guaranteeing the owners of facilities under the special regime a reasonable return on their investments, and the consumers of electricity an assignment of the costs attributable to the electricity system which is also reasonable, although incentives are provided to playing a part in this market since it is considered that in this manner lower government intervention will be achieved in the setting of prices, together with better, more efficient, attribution of the costs of the system, particularly in respect of the handling of diversions and the provisions of supplementary services.
To this effect, a system which is analogous to that provided in Royal Decree 436/2004, of 12 March, is maintained, in which the owner of the facility may opt to sell their energy at a regulated tariff, which will be the same for all scheduling periods, or alternatively to sell this energy directly on the daily market, the term market, or through a bilateral contract, in this case receiving the price negotiated in the market plus a premium...."74
"In order to ensure appropriate monitoring of the special regime and in particular in order to ensure the management and control of the receipt of the regulated tariffs, the premiums and supplements, both in respect of the categories, groups, and sub-groups, the installed power, and where applicable the date of entry into service, and in respect of the evolution of the electrical energy produced, the energy sold to the grid, the primary energy employed, the useful heat produced, and the primary energy saving achieved, facilities for the production of electrical energy under the special regime shall be subject to compulsory registration in Section Two of the Public Authority Register of facilities for the production of electrical energy indicated in Article 21.4 of Law 54/1997, which is a part of the Ministry of Industry, Tourism, and Trade. Section Two of the Public Authority Register indicated above shall hereinafter be known as the Public Authority Register for production facilities under the Special Regime."77
"Without prejudice to the provisions of Article 30.2 of Law 54/1997, of 27 November, the proprietors of production facilities under the special regime shall enjoy the following rights:
a) To connect their generating unit or units in parallel to the grid of the distribution or transport company.
b) Transfer to the system their net production of electrical energy or energy sold, by way of the distribution or transport company upon condition that it is technically possible for it to be absorbed by the grid.
c) Receive, for the total or partial sale of their net electrical energy generated under any of the options appearing in Article 24.1, the compensation provided in the economic regime set out by this Royal Decree. The right to receive the regulated tariff, or if appropriate the premium, shall be subject to final registration of the facility in the Register of production facilities under the special regime of the General Directorate of Energy Policy and Mines, prior to the final date set out in Article 22.
d) To sell all or part of their net production by way of direct lines.
e) To enjoy priority in access and connection to the electricity grid under the terms and conditions set out in Annex XI of this Royal Decree, or in such regulations as may supersede them."78
"1. As soon as 85% of the power target for any Group or Sub-Group as established in Articles 35 to 42 of the present Royal Decree has been reached, the maximum period during which such facilities as have been registered in the Public Authority Register of production facilities under the special regime prior to the date of the termination of such period shall have the right to a premium or if applicable the regulated tariff established in the present Royal Decree for such Group or Sub-Group, which shall be no less than twelve months, shall be established by Resolution of the General Secretariat for Energy...."
"During the year 2010, on sight of the results of the monitoring reports on the degree of fulfilment of the Renewable Energies Plan (PER) 2005-2010, and of the Energy Efficiency and Savings Strategy in Spain (E4), together with such new targets as may be included in the subsequent Renewable Energies Plan 2011-2020, there shall be a review of the tariffs, premiums, supplements and lower and upper limits defined in this Royal Decree with regard to the costs associated with each of these technologies, the degree of participation of the special regime in covering the demand and its impact upon the technical and economic management of the system, and a reasonable rate of profitability shall always be guaranteed with reference to the cost of money in the capital markets. Subsequently a further review shall be performed every four years, maintaining the same criteria as previously. The revisions to the regulated tariff and the upper and lower limits indicated in this paragraph shall not affect facilities for which the deed of commissioning shall have been granted prior to 1 January of the second year following the year in which the revision shall have been performed."80
"The purpose of this Royal Decree is to improve the compensation for those technologies that are less mature, such as biomass and solar thermal, in order to be able to reach the objectives of the Renewable Energy Plan 2005-2010, as well as the objectives imposed on Spain by the EC. By developing these technologies, renewable energy in Spain will cover 12% of energy consumption in 2010. The new regulation guarantees a return of 7% for wind farms and hydro-electric facilities that opt to transfer their production to distributors and between 5% and 9% if they participate in the electricity production market.... Tariffs will be revised every 4 years, taking into account the fulfilment of the objectives set out. This will make it possible to adjust the tariffs based on the new costs and the degree of fulfilment of the objectives. Future adjustments to said tariffs will not affect installations which are already in operation. This guarantees legal certainty for the electricity producer and stability for the sector, favouring development. The new legislation will not be retroactive. Facilities functioning by 1 January 2008 may keep to the previous legislation in the fixed tariff option during their entire lifespan. When they participate in the market, they may keep to their regulation prior to 31 December 2012. The emission of 6.3 million tonnes of C02 per year will be avoided by achieving the objectives set out for combined heat and power for 2010."87
"Renewable energy Returns With regards to returns, the new regulation guarantees an average return of 7% for wind farms and hydro-electric facilities that opt to transfer their production to distributors and returns between 5% and 9% if they participate in the electricity production market."88
"The growing tariff deficit, that is to say, the difference between revenue from the regulated tariffs that are set by the Administration and that consumers pay for their regulated supply and from the access tariffs that are set in the liberalised market and the real costs associated with these tariffs, is causing serious problems which, in the current context of international financial crisis, is having a profound effect on the system and placing at risk not only the financial situation of the companies that make up the Electricity Industry, but also the very sustainability of the system. This imbalance is unsustainable and has serious consequences, as it undermines the security and the capacity to fund the investments needed for the supply of electricity at the levels of quality and security that Spanish society requires."97
"... due to the growing impact on the tariff deficit, mechanisms are established with respect to the remunerative system of special regime facilities. The trend that these technologies are following could place system sustainability at risk in the short term, both from the economic point of view due to its impact on the electricity tariff and from the technical point of view, also compromising the economic viability of already completed facilities whose operation depends on the suitable balance between manageable and non-manageable generation. Therefore there is a need to adopt an urgent measure that serves to guarantee the necessary legal security of those who have made investments, and lays down the bases for establishing new economic regimes that encourage compliance with the intended objectives: the achievement of certain power objectives from technology at a reasonable cost for the consumer and the technological evolution thereof, which makes possible a gradual reduction in their cost and consequently their concurrence with conventional technologies."98
"The agreements include short-term measures, which will allow the impact on the price of electricity to be reduced, as well as long-term measures, which will guarantee stability and certainty to both sectors for its future development.
The premium for wind provided by RD 661/2007 will be reduced by 35% until 2013....
It is agreed to limit the number of hours with above-market remuneration rights for wind power and solar thermal plants, taking into account the different technologies and the provisions of the Renewable Energies Plan 2005-2010 for the calculation of the profitability of the facilities....
With this measure, which does not jeopardise the profitability of the existing facilities, it will be guaranteed that the production of renewable energy above the expected amounts will benefit consumers and not jeopardise the financial sustainability of the system.
This pact furthermore assumes the reinforcement of the visibility and stability of the regulation of these technologies in the future, guaranteeing the current incentives and rates of RD 661/2007 for the facilities in operation (and for those included in the pre-registration) starting in 2013.
…
The Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Trade will immediately start the proceedings that allow the content of the agreements to transfer into regulation."112
"They [the Spanish Government representatives] believed that Article 44.3 gave them the right to change the premium but not the fixed tariff, that was their interpretation of it, so the fixed tariff they couldn't touch, but the premium yes. And their proposal to the sector was that in return for these temporary adjustments, as I say, to reduce the premium component for a limited period, and also the operating hours, with some caps on operating hours, they would guarantee to the sector, and they did guarantee to the sector in the July 2010 agreement and subsequent legislation, that they would never again touch the parameters applicable to 661 and to our assets."113
"The future for renewable generation will depend on the form and level of any support mechanism. The Special Regime mechanism is subject to periodic review, and there have been discussions about introducing a market-based mechanism in accordance with the latest EU directive on renewable generation. However, given the success of the current mechanism,. it is likely that the current tariff/premium methodology will continue, at least until 2010.
Given the uncertainty surrounding the Special Regime and the future policy and support mechanism for the development of renewable energy to meet the set targets, it is difficult to accurately project potential additional revenue to wind generators. However, there is a commitment by the Spanish Government to continue support in some form, whether it is through subsidies set annually and funded by the regulated tariffs, or through market-based mechanisms."142
"Due to these major changes by the Government, Pöyry believes the Spanish market will continue to be dominated by the government, with it actively managing the market to try and maintain a cap on generator profits. What seems increasingly probable is that the government is unlikely to opt for direct intervention in the Pool. Rather it appears to prefer intervention outside the Pool (as RD 1634/2006 and lTC 400/2007 legislation to cap generators profits and total system cost). Thus the government is more likely to intervene to tax companies for windfall profits, or cap revenues (RD 661/2007), than it is to directly intervene in the wholesale market and cap prices."145
"The Spanish Government, through Royal Decree (RD) 661/2007, encourages new investments in co-generation and renewable energies by placing them under a Special Regime, and subsidising electricity purchases from renewable energy generators. Under RD 661/2007, these subsidies (environmental premiums) are guaranteed during the operating lifetime of the plant. RD 661/2007 supplants the previous legislation governing the special regime market, RD 436/2004.
The main conclusion for the industry from the implementation of RD 661/2007 is that although the potential income to be received has been capped so have the potential losses. In our opinion the revised remuneration for wind generators will not cause any real lasting damage to the Spanish wind industry - a concern that had been raised after the publication of the first draft in November 2006."146
"The Spanish wind farms remuneration has changed with the recent introduction of RD 661/2007. It provides a new measure to control revenues wind farms by imposing a cap and a floor (also referred to as a ‘collar’). This way the Spanish Government limits the return wind assets will obtain. Pöyry estimates that the expected IRR (Internal Rate of Return, post-tax nominal) ungeared for wind farms at market prices would be in the range of 5% to 7.5% (see Pöyry’s DCF model in Annex E). The IRR range implies a decrease in expected IRR compared to those that result from RD 436/2004 scheme which allowed higher returns. Existing wind farms opting for the transitory period will have an IRR ungeared in the range of 5.5% to 8%. We estimate that the impact RD 661/2007 for the existing assets is, therefore, limited."147
"31. Regarding structural reforms, the Spanish authorities are committed to implement the country-specific recommendations in the context of the European Semester. These reforms aim at correcting macroeconomic imbalances, as identified in the in-depth review under the Macroeconomic Imbalance Procedure (MIP). In particular, these recommendations invite Spain to:... 6) complete the electricity and gas interconnections with neighbouring countries, and address the electricity tariff deficit in a comprehensive way."176
"First of all, the Government is empowered to approve a new legal and economic regime for existing electricity production installations using renewable, co-generation and waste energy sources. In this way article 30.4 of Law 54/1997, of 27 November, concerning the Electricity Sector, is modified to introduce the concrete principles on which this regime will be based, in order to establish the scope of activity of the Government in developing remuneration regimes for these installations. This shall be based on receiving the revenue deriving from market participation, with an additional remuneration which, were it to prove necessary, covers those investment costs that an efficient and well-run company cannot recover from the market. In this way, in line with Community jurisprudence, an efficient and well-run company shall be understood to be one that has the necessary resources to carry out its activity, whose costs are those of a company that is efficient in its activity, and taking into account the corresponding revenue and a reasonable return for carrying out its functions. The objective is to guarantee that the high costs of an inefficient company are not used as a benchmark.
…
Furthermore, in Law 54/1997 of 27 November, the concept of reasonable return is embodied and regulated, and is established, in line with jurisprudence and doctrine that has been laid down in recent years, in a project profitability that will depend, before tax, on the average yield from ten-year Government Bonds on the secondary market, by applying the appropriate differential."
"Additionally, subj ect to the terms that the Council of Ministers might adopt pursuant to Royal Decrees, in relation to the remuneration for the generation of electricity calculated according to market price, installations may receive a specific remuneration [the Special Payment] composed of an amount per unit of installed capacity. Such amount shall cover, as appropriate, the investment costs of a standard installation that cannot be recovered through the sale of energy, as well as an amount for the operation of the installation to cover, as the case may be, the difference between exploitation costs and the revenues obtained from the participation of such a standard installation in the market.
…
This remuneration regime shall not exceed the minimum required level to cover the costs that are necessary for installations to compete on an equal footing with the rest of the technologies in the market in order to allow those installations to obtain a reasonable return, by reference to the standard installation, as the case may be. Notwithstanding the above, exceptionally the remuneration regime might also include an incentive to investments and timely execution of an installation, if this was going to result in a significant cost reduction for the Spanish islands or the extra-peninsular territories' electricity systems.
Such reasonable return will be based on, before taxes, the average returns in the secondary market of the State's ten-year bonds plus the adequate differential.
The parameters of the remuneration regime can be revised every six years."
"The new methodology incorporates periodic revisions of the specific payment in order to ensure that so-called reasonable rates of return are obtained, avoiding underpayments and also overpayments; however, the methodology also presents great uncertainties for its application to the approximately 60,000 existing installations, since its application depends on a series of standard parameters that will be defined in the development order of the royal decree."
a) is limited to the regulatory useful life of 20 years (for wind) or 25 years (for hydro as opposed to the previous regime which guaranteed the incentives for the whole useful life.193
b) is composed of two elements: i) a remuneration per MW of installed capacity; and ii) a remuneration per MW hour ("MWh") of electricity produced, seeking to cover the operating costs that cannot be met by market prices;194 and is determined by reference to a standard installation (the "Standard Installation") and capped by the concept of "reasonable return", defined as a rate of return of 300 basis points above the average yield on Spanish ten-year government bonds, set at 7,398%;195
c) is subject to revision every six years;
d) takes into account the amounts received under the RDL 661/2007 regime in assessing whether a plant has achieved a reasonable return during the regulatory life,196 i.e. if a plant has obtained in the past a return higher than the capped rate, that plant will receive a lower Special Payment (or none at all) to compensate for the excess and reach the target of a 7,398% return.197
a) Certain plants have already been exceptionally profitable and hence are no longer entitled to a subsidy. Thus, the rates of return are stated as: with respect to Muel, 11.2%; Acampo Armijo, 18.6%; Bosque Alto, 10.1%; Los Labrados, 11.4%; Plana María, 10.1%; Plana Zaragoza, 13.7%; Río Gallego phase I, 10.8% and phase II, 16.1%; Aldehuelas, 19.2%. It is said that, overall, "the Claimants recover their investment costs and, taking operating costs into account, will obtain a total consolidated rate of return of 10.6% before tax or 8.2% after tax."200
b) Pursuant to the Claimants’ ‘But-for scenario’, the average rate of return would be 14.5% for the Claimants’ wind farms and 7.1% for the Claimants’ hydro plants. The Respondent says that these return rates are disproportionate in relation to the risk profile of the investments.201
a) According to Compass Lexecon, the expected rate of return achieved by the standard plants corresponding to each of the Claimants’ plants is 5.7% after tax as a result of Spain’s measures ("the actual scenario"), as opposed to 9% after tax under their "but-for scenario."203
b) A comparison is made by Compass Lexecon to the percentage figures to the rates of return referred to in the CNE Report 3/2007, on the basis that these were what the CNE had considered to be reasonable. The Tribunal notes, however, that the rates of return contained in the CNE report concerned (i) CNE's calculation of average rates of return under the then draft RD, i.e. 8.2% (wind) and 9.7% (hydro) for both the fixed tariff and premium options, and (ii) CNE's proposed rates of return for plants coming into operation after 1 January 2008, being the same for the fixed tariff option, but 9.9% (wind) and 11.2% (hydro) for the premium option.204 Given that none of the Claimants' plants came into operation after 1 January 2008, the Tribunal does not consider the CNE proposed rates (9.9% (wind) and 11.2% (hydro)) to be relevant.205 It is also not clear to the Tribunal whether these CNE figures were pre- or post-tax.
a) The EC investigation concerns the June 2014 Order, so the New Regime is what is under investigation, not the Special Regime on which the Claimants relied to invest.210
b) There is no evidence that the Disputed Measures were motivated by State aid concerns, as the preambles do not mention State aid.211
c) Neither the Community Guidelines on State Aid for Environmental Protection and Energy 20142020, Number 2014/C200/0170 (the "2014 Guidelines"), nor the guidelines approved by the Communication from the European Commission 2008/C82/0171 (the "2008 Guidelines"), mentioned by Respondent, required Spain to adopt the Disputed Measures.212
d) It is a principle of EU State aid law that beneficiaries of support schemes should be allowed to rely upon a stable legal framework. The 2014 Guidelines provide that a reduction in renewable incentives should apply prospectively to new RE installations.213
a) There was no right to an economic system remaining unaltered;
b) The only limit to be respected by the Government in regulatory modifications was the provision to SR facilities of a reasonable return with reference to the cost of money on the capital market;
c) The integration of SR facilities into the SES implied that companies had to assume a certain regulatory risk.218
(i) Lack of jurisdiction of the Tribunal ratione personae to rule on the dispute raised by the Claimants due to the absence of investors protected under the ECT: the Claimants are not from the area of another Contracting Party as Germany and Spain are Member States of the European Union, and the ECT does not apply to disputes relating to intra-EU disputes;222
(ii) Lack of jurisdiction of the Tribunal to hear an alleged breach by Spain of obligations derived from Article 10(1) ECT through the introduction of taxation measures by Law 15/2012: Spain has not consented to submit this matter to arbitration given that, pursuant to Article 21 ECT, Article 10(1) ECT does not generate obligations regarding taxation measures of the Contracting Parties.223
(1) "The jurisdiction of the Centre shall extend to any legal dispute arising directly out of an investment, between a Contracting State (or any constituent subdivision or agency of a Contracting State designated to the Centre by that State) and a national of another Contracting State, which the parties to the dispute consent in writing to submit to the Centre. When the parties have given their consent, no party may withdraw its consent unilaterally. (...)"
1) "Disputes between a Contracting Party and an Investor of another Contracting Party relating to an Investment of the latter in the Area of the former, which concern an alleged breach of an obligation of the former under Part III shall, if possible, be settled amicably.
2) If such disputes cannot be settled according to the provisions of paragraph (1) within a period of three months from the date on which either party to the dispute requested amicable settlement, the Investor party to the dispute may choose to submit it for resolution:
(a) To the courts or administrative tribunals of the Contracting Party, party to the dispute;
(b) in accordance with any applicable, previously agreed dispute settlement procedure;
(c) in accordance with the following paragraphs of this Article.
3) (a) Subject only to subparagraphs b) and c), each Contracting Party hereby gives its unconditional consent to the submission of a dispute to international arbitration or conciliation in accordance with the provisions of this Article....
4) In the event that an Investor chooses to submit the dispute resolution under subparagraph (2)(c), the Investor shall further provide its consent in writing for the dispute to be submitted to:
(a) (i) The International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes, established pursuant to the Convention on the Settlement of Investment Dispute between States and Nationals of other States opened for signature at Washington, 18 March 1965, (hereinafter referred to as the "ICSID Convention"), if the Contracting Party of the Investor and the Contracting Party, party to the dispute, both parties to the ICSID Convention;...
5) (a) The consent given in paragraph (3) together with the written consent of the Investor given pursuant to paragraph (4) shall be considered to satisfy the requirement for:
(i) written consent of the parties to a dispute purposes of Chapter II of the ICSID Convention...
6) A tribunal established under paragraph (4) shall decide the issues in dispute in accordance with this Treaty and applicable rules and principles of international law."
"Article 107.1 TFEU must be interpreted as meaning that the sums awarded to a private electricity producer that are financed by all the end users of electricity within the national territory and distributed among the companies in the electricity sector by a public organisation according to predetermined legal criteria, constitute aid granted by the State or through State resources."243
"The provisions of this Treaty shall not be so construed as to oblige a Contracting Party which is party to an Economic Integration Agreement (hereinafter referred to as "EIA" to extend by means of most favoured national treatment, to another Contracting Party which is not a party to the EIA, any preferential treatment applicable between the parties to that EIA as a result of their being parties thereto."
a) Blusun v Italy, where the tribunal considered that it must apply EU Law "as part of international law or as part of the law of Italy. The Tribunal evidently cannot exercise the special jurisdictional powers vested in the European courts, but it can and where relevant should apply European law as such"247
b) Jurgen Wirtgen et al. v Czech Republic which, it is said, supported the reasoning and conclusions of the Electrabel, concluding that that the applicable international law in addition to the Treaty encompasses EU law.248
"(1) Does Article 344 TFEU preclude the application of a provision in a bilateral investment protection agreement between Member States of the European Union (a so-called intra-EU BIT) under which an investor of a Contracting State, in the event of a dispute concerning investments in the other Contracting State, may bring proceedings against the latter State before an arbitral tribunal where the investment protection agreement was concluded before one of the Contracting States acceded to the European Union but the arbitral proceedings are not to be brought until after that date?
If Question 1 is to be answered in the negative:
(2) Does Article 267 TFEU preclude the application of such a provision?
If Questions 1 and 2 are to be answered in the negative:
(3) Does the first paragraph of Article 18 TFEU preclude the application of such a provision under the circumstances described in Question 1?"
"Articles 267 and 344 TFEU must be interpreted as precluding a provision in an international agreement concluded between Member States, such as Article 8 of the Agreement on encouragement and reciprocal protection of investments between the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Czech and Slovak Federative Republic, under which an investor from one of those Member States may, in the event of a dispute concerning investment in the other Member State, bring proceedings against the latter Member State before an arbitral tribunal whose jurisdiction that Member State has undertaken to accept."
a) In order to ensure that the specific characteristics and the autonomy of the EU legal order are preserved, the EU Treaties have established a judicial system intended to ensure consistency and uniformity in the interpretation of EU law;
b) In that context, in accordance with Article 19 TEU, it is for the national courts and tribunals and the Court of Justice to ensure the full application of EU law in all Member States and to ensure judicial protection of the rights of individuals under that law;
c) In particular, the judicial system as thus conceived has as its keystone the preliminary ruling procedure provided for in Article 267 TFEU which, by setting up a dialogue between one court and another, specifically between the CJEU and the courts and tribunals of the Member States, has the object of securing uniform interpretation of EU law, thereby serving to ensure its consistency, its full effect and its autonomy as well as, ultimately, the particular nature of the law established by the Treaties;
d) Given the nature and characteristics of EU law, that law must be regarded both as forming part of the law in force in every Member State and as deriving from an international agreement between the Member States.273
a) The arbitral tribunal was not part of the judicial system and could not be classified as a court or tribunal of a Member State within the meaning of Article 267 TFEU;
b) Investment arbitrations are different from commercial arbitration proceedings.
While the latter originate in the freely expressed wishes of the parties, the former derive from a treaty by which Member States agree to remove from the jurisdiction of their own courts (and hence from the system of judicial remedies which the second subparagraph of Article 19(1) TEU requires them to establish in the fields covered by EU law) disputes which may concern the application or interpretation of EU law.
c) The States parties to the BIT had thus established a mechanism for settling disputes between an investor and a Member State which could prevent those disputes from being resolved in a manner that ensured the full effectiveness of EU law, even though they might concern the interpretation or application of EU law.274
a) EU law would be especially relevant for this dispute, insofar as the claim concerns a tariff scheme that the EC has qualified as State aid. In this respect, on 19 January 2018, the Respondent had already submitted its Comments on the EC's Decision of 10 November 2017 on the State Aid SA.40348 (20151NN) proceeding regarding Spain's Support for Electricity Generation from Renewable Energy Sources, Cogeneration and Waste.275
b) Article 6(1) ECT establishes a binding rule for the Contracting Parties which affects to EU Rules on competition: "Each Contracting Party shall work to alleviate market distortions." Article 6(1) ECT is not subject to a claim according to Article 26(1). ECT not only allows, but also obliges EU Member States to act according to applicable EU rules on competition, and their acts are outside the scope of the investors’ claims, as they are autonomous and primary rules. Any investor should have been aware of Article 6(1) ECT when investing under ECT provisions.
c) In accordance with Article 10(8) ECT "any dispute concerning subsidies... shall be reserved for the supplementary treaty described in paragraph 4."276
a) "the judgment makes it clear that it applies only to a treaty where the EU is not itself a Contracting Party, which is not the case of the ECT;
b) there can be no incompatibility between the ECT (a treaty to which the EU is a Contracting Party) and EU law. As the RREEF tribunal correctly determined, should there ever be an inconsistency, the ECT would prevail;
c) the ECT is binding on the EU and provides for arbitration of disputes concerning violations of the ECT as a result of EU measures that EU institutions might adopt. In other words, if a treaty claim can be brought against the EU under the ECT, and that is by definition not incompatible with EU law, it follows that the investor-State arbitration mechanism under the ECT is also not incompatible with EU law; and
d) unlike the Netherlands-Slovakia BIT, the ECT provides that investor-State disputes shall be decided in accordance with this Treaty (the ECT) and public international law, not the law of the host State (and EU law)."278
"the ECT does not apply at all in the inter se relationship between EU Member States. Rather, the ECT created international obligations only between third countries and the competent subject of international law of the area of Union law. Second, and in the alternative, the Commission takes the view that even if the ECT did create certain inter se obligations between the EU Member States, quod non, those obligations would not comprise the provisions of the ECT on investment protection (Chapter III) and dispute settlement (Article 26 ECT) as both the substantive competence for protection of investments by EU investors in other EU Member States, including in the field of energy, and the jurisdictional competence for those disputes have been transferred to the Union. In consequence, Spain (and the Union) has made an offer for arbitration only to investors from Contracting Parties that are not Member States."289
"Member States are bound to draw all necessary consequences from that judgment pursuant to their obligations under Union law.
Union law takes precedence over bilateral investment treaties concluded between Member States. As a consequence, all investor-State arbitration clauses contained in bilateral investment treaties concluded between Member States are contrary to Union law and thus inapplicable. They do not produce effects including as regards provisions that provide for extended protection of investments made prior to termination for a further period of time (so called sunset or grandfathering clauses). An arbitral tribunal established on the basis of investor-State arbitration clauses lacks jurisdiction, due to a lack of a valid offer to arbitrate by the Member State party to the underlying bilateral investment Treaty.
Furthermore, international agreements concluded by the Union, including the Energy Charter Treaty, are an integral part of the EU legal order and must therefore be compatible with the Treaties. Arbitral tribunals have interpreted the Energy Charter Treaty as also containing an investor-State arbitration clause applicable between Member States. Interpreted in such a manner, that clause would be incompatible with the Treaties and thus would have to be disapplied."
"1. By the present declaration, Member States inform investment arbitration tribunals about the legal consequences of the Achmea judgment, as set out in this declaration, in all pending intra-EU investment arbitration proceedings brought either under bilateral investment treaties concluded between Member States or under the Energy Charter Treaty.
2. In cooperation with a defending Member State, the Member State, in which an investor that has brought such an action is established, will take the necessary measures to inform the investment arbitration tribunals concerned of those consequences. Similarly, defending Member States will request the courts, including in any third country, which are to decide in proceedings relating to an intra-EU investment arbitration award, to set these awards aside or not to enforce them due to a lack of valid consent."
"Against this background, the Member States underline the importance of allowing for due process and consider that it would be inappropriate, in the absence of a specific judgment on this matter, to express views as regards the compatibility with Union law of the intra-EU application of the Energy Charter Treaty."
"... in Hungary’s view, the Achmea judgment concerns only the intra-EU bilateral investment treaties. The Achmea judgment is silent on the investor-state arbitration clause in the Energy Charter Treaty ("ECT") and it does not concern any pending or prospective arbitration proceedings initiated under the ECT.
Against this background, Hungary underlines the importance of allowing for due process and considers that it is inappropriate for a Member State to express its view as regards the compatibility with Union law of the intra-EU application of the ECT. The ongoing and future applicability of the ECT in intra-EU relations requires further discussion and individual agreement amongst the Member States."
"... by means of the Declaration [of 15 January 2019] the signatory Member States inform the arbitral investment community that an arbitral tribunal established on the basis of investor-State arbitration clauses such as Article 26 of the ECT lacks jurisdiction when the dispute is intra-EU. Such lack of jurisdiction is due to the fact that the Member States never interpreted Article 26 of the ECT as a valid offer to arbitrate between EU Members because such consent to arbitration would be opposed to EU law. The Kingdom of Spain considers that the Declaration holds paramount relevance to this case because it is a definite and distinct demonstration of the will of the States that signed the ECT as to how Article 26 of the ECT should be interpreted in relation to EU Law."296
"Any theoretical discussion about the legal characterization of the Declaration cannot change the nature and the binding nature of the commitments it encloses for both Spain and Germany. In order to comply with EU Law and respect its international commitments as expressed in the Declaration, Spain has no option but to respectfully insist on the objection to the jurisdiction of this Arbitral Tribunal. The fact that both the host State and the Respondent State have signed the Declaration makes it ever more clear, that Article 26 of the ECT does not comprise an intra-EU arbitration clause."299
"A tribunal established under paragraph (4) shall decide the issues in dispute in accordance with this Treaty and applicable rules and principles of international law."
"Disputes between a Contracting Party and an Investor of another Contracting Party relating to an Investment of the latter in the Area of the former, which concern an alleged breach of an obligation of the former under Part III shall, if possible, be settled amicably."
"‘Contracting Party’ means a state or Regional Economic Integration Organization which has consented to be bound by this Treaty and for which the Treaty is in force."
"... an organization constituted by states to which they have transferred competence over certain matters a number of which are governed by this Treaty, including the authority to take decisions binding on them in respect of those matters."
"‘Area' means with respect to a state that is a Contracting Party:
(a) the territory under its sovereignty, it being understood that territory includes land, internal waters and the territorial sea; and
(b) subject to and in accordance with the international law of the sea: the sea, sea-bed and its subsoil with regard to which that Contracting Party exercises sovereign rights and jurisdiction.
With respect to a Regional Economic Integration Organization which is a Contracting Party, Area means the Areas of the member states of such Organization, under the provisions contained in the agreement establishing that Organization."
"1.... the rights and obligations of States Parties to successive treaties relating to the same subject matter shall be determined in accordance with the following paragraphs.
2. When a treaty specifies that it is subject to, or that it is not to be considered as incompatible with, an earlier or later treaty, the provisions of that other treaty prevail.
3. When all the parties to the earlier treaty are parties also to the later treaty but the earlier treaty is not terminated or suspended in operation under article 59, the earlier treaty applies only to the extent that its provisions are compatible with those of the later treaty.
4. When the parties to the later treaty do not include all the parties to the earlier one:
(a) as between States Parties to both treaties the same rule applies as in paragraph 3;
(b) as between a State party to both treaties and a State party to only one of the treaties, the treaty to which both States are parties governs their mutual rights and obligations.
5. Paragraph 4 is without prejudice to article 41, or to any question of the termination or suspension of the operation of a treaty under article 60 or to any question of responsibility which may arise for a State from the conclusion or application of a treaty the provisions of which are incompatible with its obligations towards another State under another treaty."
"Where two or more Contracting Parties have entered into a prior international agreement, or enter into a subsequent international agreement, whose terms in either case concern the subject matter of Part III or V of this Treaty,
(1) nothing in Part III or V of this Treaty shall be construed to derogate from any provision of such terms of the other agreement or from any right to dispute resolution with respect thereto under that agreement; and
(2) nothing in such terms of the other agreement shall be construed to derogate from any provision of Part III or V of this Treaty or from any right to dispute resolution with respect thereto under this Treaty,
where any such provision is more favourable to the Investor or Investment."
"... when the very essence of a treaty to which the EU is a party is at issue,... then precisely because the EU is a party to the treaty a formal warning that EU law would prevail over the treaty, such as that contained in a disconnection clause, would have been required under international law.
This follows from the basic public international law principle of pacta sunt servanda. If one or more parties to a treaty wish to exclude the application of that treaty in certain respect or circumstances, they must either make a reservation (excluded in the present case by Article 46 of the ECT) or include an unequivocal disconnection clause in the treaty itself...."329
"Pursuant to Article 6 of the VCLT, every State possesses capacity to conclude treaties and is bound by those obligations pursuant to the principle of pacta sunt servanda. No limitation on the competence of the EU Member States was communicated at the time that the ECT was signed. Article 46 of the VCLT provides that a State may not invoke provisions of its internal law regarding competence to conclude treaties to invalidate a treaty unless it was a manifest violation of a rule of fundamental importance. While EU law operates on both an internal and international plane, a similar principle must apply. Even if, as a matter of EC law, the EC has exclusive competence over matters of internal investment, the fact is that Member States to the EU signed the ECT without qualification or reservation. The inter se obligations in the ECT are not somehow invalid or inapplicable because of an allocation of competence that the EC says can be inferred from a set of EU laws and regulations dealing with investment."330
"The Court of Justice of the European Union shall have jurisdiction to give preliminary rulings concerning:
(a) the interpretation of the Treaties;
(b) the validity and interpretation of acts of the institutions, bodies, offices or agencies of the Union;
Where such a question is raised before any court or tribunal of a Member State, that court or tribunal may, if it considers that a decision on the question is necessary to enable it to give judgment, request the Court to give a ruling thereon.
Where any such question is raised in a case pending before a court or tribunal of a Member State against whose decisions there is no judicial remedy under national law, that court or tribunal shall bring the matter before the Court.
If such a question is raised in a case pending before a court or tribunal of a Member State with regard to a person in custody, the Court of Justice of the European Union shall act with the minimum of delay."