Jurisdiction(s):
United Kingdom

Key definition

Annulment definition

What does Annulment mean? Annulment is the family court process for obtaining a nullity order confirming that a marriage is either void (never legally valid) or voidable (valid unless and until annulled). It is used instead of divorce where a party challenges the marriage’s validity. In England and Wales, annulment (nullity of marriage) is governed by the Matrimonial Causes Act 1973 and case law; in Northern Ireland by the Matrimonial Causes (Northern Ireland) Order 1978; in Scotland principally by the Marriage (Scotland) Act 1977 and case law; and in Ireland by the Family Law (Nullity of Marriage) Act 1995 and case law. Scots law provides...

EU General Court upholds Commission’s State aid probe into Dutch APAs for Nike and Converse; annulment action dismissed (Case T‑648/19, 14 July 2021)

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Practice notes

CASE HUB ARCHIVED

This archived case hub reflects the position as at the judgment of 14 July 2021; it is no longer maintained. See the timeline for further detail.

Case facts

Outline

An action was brought to annul the Commission’s decision of 10 January 2019 to open an in‑depth investigation into tax rulings issued by the Netherlands tax Administration to Nike and Converse, with a view to assessing potential unlawful State aid (SA.51284).

Latest developments

On 14 July 2021, the General Court delivered its judgment dismissing the action in full. It found, among other matters, that the Commission had adhered to procedural requirements and had neither failed in its duty to state reasons nor committed any manifest error of assessment.

Parties

Applicants:

Nike European Operations Netherlands
Converse Netherlands BV (together, the Applicants)

Defendant:

European Commission (the Commission)

Background

The Commission’s formal investigation concerns the Netherlands’ tax treatment of two Nike group entities located in the Netherlands, namely the Applicants. These companies develop, market and record the sales of Nike and Converse products across Europe, the Middle East and Africa (the EMEA region)...

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Web page updated on 27/05/2026

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