A decision by Brussels approving €297.5m injection of government money into Belgium’s La Poste, the country’s main postal service, was annulled on Tuesday by one of Europe’s highest courts.

The decision by the European Commission was taken in 2003, in spite of the fact that Germany’s Deutsche Post and its Belgian DHL subsidiary had wanted a formal procedure to be opened so that they could be consulted. They compete with La Poste in the express courier market.