BRUSSELS -- The European Union (EU)'s Court of Justice on Tuesday delivered its final judgment on Apple's appeal, confirming that the company must repay illegal tax benefits to Ireland.

In 2016, the European Commission ruled that companies within the Apple Group had received unlawful tax advantages worth 13 billion euros ($14.34 billion) in the form of State aid provided by Ireland from 1991 to 2014.

The General Court annulled the Commission's decision in 2020, saying the Commission had not sufficiently proven that the companies involved had received a selective advantage.

Tuesday's ruling by the Court of Justice overturned the earlier decision. "The Court of Justice gives final judgment in the matter and confirms the European Commission's 2016 decision: Ireland granted Apple unlawful aid which Ireland is required to recover," the court said in a press release.

Margrethe Vestager, executive vice president of the European Commission for a Europe Fit for the Digital Age, hailed Tuesday's court ruling as "a big win for European citizens and for tax justice."

"This means that the recovered taxes, which have been in an escrow account for quite some years in Ireland during the ongoing court proceedings, now must be released to the Irish State," she said.

She also noted that the investigations have contributed to a shift in mindset among member states, encouraging them to initiate or accelerate regulatory and legislative reforms.