44As for the argument concerning difficulties connected with identifying the actual beneficiaries of the aid at issue, put forward in the event that the obligation to recover the aid does not relate only to farmers, it should be noted that apprehension of even insuperable internal difficulties, relating inter alia to verification of the situation of each undertaking concerned for the purposes of recovering the unlawful aid or to the wide reach of the aid scheme across the fabric of national production industry, cannot justify a failure by a Member State to fulfil its obligations under EU law (see, to that effect, judgment of 1 April 2004, Commission v Italy, C‑99/02, EU:C:2004:207, paragraphs 22 and 23 and the case-law cited).
Source: EUR-Lex, © European Union, 1998-2026. Reuse authorised under Decision 2011/833/EU.