The Oslo District Court has ruled in favor of the airline Norwegian in its lawsuit against the Norwegian government over climate quotas from 2020.
Norwegian had already paid 400 million Norwegian crowns after the Ministry of Climate and Environment decided on such a penalty for failing to meet its climate quotas during the pandemic year.
Despite this payment, Norwegian still contested the claim, and in January of this year it decided to sue the state. The judgment has just been handed down and it rules in favor of the company, which means that the State must reimburse the 400 million Norwegian crowns and pay the legal costs, or 9.7 million Norwegian crowns.
The court ruled that the ministry’s decision was invalid and that Norway had fulfilled its obligation to transfer climate allowances under the Emissions Trading Act.
“The judgment confirms our understanding of the law, and we are grateful to the court for recognizing the unique circumstances of our reconstruction and the limits it places on our ability to fulfill certain obligations,” said Norwegian CEO Geir Karlsen, in a press release.
The Ministry of Climate and Environment disagrees.
“The judgment is not legally binding and it is too early to comment on the consequences it might have. The Ministry of Climate and Environment naturally does not agree with the court’s findings, and the first step will be to consider an appeal,” Martine Røiseland, the agency’s communications manager, wrote to financial website E24.
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