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Procurement of Galileo transition satellites: EU Judgment in Case C-415/23P OHB System v Commission
Thursday 12th June 2025
Judgment in Case C-415/23 P OHB System v Commission
(European Union public contracts)
In May 2018, the European Space Agency (ESA) launched a call for tenders for the supply of transition satellites for the Galileo programme. In this procedure, the European Commission acted as contracting authority.
In the light of the requests to participate received, ESA selected three companies – OHB System (OHB), Airbus Defence and Space (ADS) and Thales Alenia Space Italia (TASI) – which were invited to submit their bids.
Following this procedure, the Commission decided to award the contract to TASI and ADS and not to accept OHB’s bid on the grounds that it was not the most economically advantageous.
OHB challenged these decisions before the General Court of the European Union.
During the tender procedure, OHB informed the Commission that its former Administrative General Manager, who at the time had had extensive access to OHB’s tender project data, had in the meantime joined ADS, where he had been placed in charge of the department responsible for the tender submitted by ADS. Thus, the sensitive information obtained by the former OHB employee would have given ADS an unfair advantage in the procedure in question.
However, the Commission considered that there was no sufficient reason to exclude ADS.
The General Court did not uphold the objections raised in this respect and dismissed OHB’s action for annulment of the abovementioned Commission decisions (T-54/21 –ؘ see also Press Release No 66/23).
Background Documents C-415/23 P
Donnerstag, 12. Juni 2025
Urteil des Gerichtshofs in der Rechtsmittelsache C‑415/23 P OHB System / Kommission
Beschaffung von Galileo-Übergangssatelliten
Mit Urteil vom 26. April 2023 wies das Gericht die Klage von OHB System, einer deutschen Gesellschaft für Raumfahrtsysteme, gegen die Vergabe des Auftrags für Galileo-Übergangssatelliten an Thales Alenia Space Italia und an Airbus Defence & Space ab. Die Kommission sei nicht verpflichtet gewesen, eingehende Untersuchungen zu den von OHB System gegen Airbus Defence & Space erhobenen Vorwürfen anzustellen (siehe Pressemitteilung Nr. 66/23).
OHB System verfolgt ihr Anliegen weiter im Wege eines Rechtsmittels gegen das Urteil des Gerichts vor dem Gerichtshof. Ohne Schlussanträge.
Zu diesem Urteil wird es eine Pressemitteilung geben. Außerdem wird die Urteilsverkündung auf unserer Website Curia live gestreamt.