Judgment of the General Court (First Chamber) of 9 December 2014 — Sport-pari v Council

(Case T‑439/11)

Common foreign and security policy — Restrictive measures adopted against Belarus — Freezing of funds — Obligation to state reasons — Rights of the defence — Right to be heard — Error of assessment

1.                     Judicial proceedings — Acts repealing and replacing the contested acts in the course of the proceedings — Application for adaptation of the pleas for annulment made during the proceedings — Lawfulness (Rules of Procedure of the General Court, Art. 48(2)) (see para. 49)

2.                     Acts of the institutions — Statement of reasons — Obligation — Scope — Restrictive measures against Belarus — Freezing of funds of certain persons and bodies in view of the situation in Belarus — Minimum requirements (Art. 296 TFEU; Council Decisions 2011/357/CFSP, 2011/666/CFSP and 2012/642/CFSP; Council Regulations No 588/2011, No 1000/2011 and No 1017/2012) (see paras 56-62)

3.                     Common foreign and security policy — Restrictive measures against Belarus — Freezing of funds of certain persons and bodies in view of the situation in Belarus — Obligation to extend that measure to entities owned or controlled by such an entity — Condition — Acts instituting restrictive measures providing for the application of the latter to the said owned or controlled entities (see paras 65, 66, 123)

4.                     Common foreign and security policy — Restrictive measures against Belarus — Freezing of funds of certain persons and bodies in view of the situation in Belarus — Nature of those measures — No criminal character (Council Decisions 2011/357/CFSP, 2011/666/CFSP and 2012/642/CFSP; Council Regulations No 588/2011, No 1000/2011 and No 1017/2012) (see para. 89)

5.                     Common foreign and security policy — Restrictive measures against Belarus — Freezing of funds — Rights of defence — Disclosure of inculpatory evidence — Subsequent decision maintaining the name of the applicant on the list of persons covered by those measures — No new grounds — Infringement of the right to be heard — None (Council Decision 2012/642/CFSP; Council Regulation No 1017/2012) (see paras 96, 97, 100, 101)

6.                     European Union — Judicial review of the legality of the acts of the institutions — Restrictive measures against Belarus — Freezing of funds of certain persons and bodies in view of the situation in Belarus — Ambit of the review (Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, Art. 47; Council Decision 2012/642/CFSP; Council Regulation No 1017/2012) (see paras 128, 129)

Re:

APPLICATION for annulment of Council Decision 2011/357/CFSP of 20 June 2011, amending Decision 2010/639/CFSP concerning restrictive measures against certain officials of Belarus (OJ 2011 L 161, p. 25), Council Regulation (EU) No 588/2011 of 20 June 2011 amending Regulation (EC) No 765/2006 concerning restrictive measures against President Lukashenko and certain officials of Belarus (OJ 2011 L 161, p. 1), Council Decision 2011/666/CFSP of 10 October 2011 amending Decision 2010/639/CFSP concerning restrictive measures against Belarus (OJ 2011 L 265, p. 17), Council Implementing Regulation (EU) No 1000/2011 of 10 October 2011 implementing Article 8a(1) of Regulation (EC) No 765/2006 concerning restrictive measures in respect of Belarus (OJ 2011 L 265, p. 8), Council Decision 2012/642/CFSP of 15 October 2012 concerning restrictive measures against Belarus (OJ 2012 L 285, p. 1), and Council Implementing Regulation (EU) No 1017/2012 of 6 November 2012 implementing Article 8a(1) of Regulation (EC) No 765/2006 concerning restrictive measures in respect of Belarus (OJ 2012 L 307, p. 7), in so far as those acts concern the applicant.

Operative part

The Court:

1. Annuls Council Decision 2011/357/CFSP of 20 June 2011, amending Decision 2010/639/CFSP concerning restrictive measures against certain officials of Belarus, Council Regulation (EU) No 588/2011 of 20 June 2011 amending Regulation (EC) No 765/2006 concerning restrictive measures against President Lukashenko and certain officials of Belarus, Council Decision 2011/666/CFSP of 10 October 2011 amending Decision 2010/639/CFSP concerning restrictive measures against Belarus, Council Implementing Regulation (EU) No 1000/2011 of 10 October 2011 implementing Article 8a(1) of Regulation (EC) No 765/2006 concerning restrictive measures in respect of Belarus, Council Decision 2012/642/CFSP of 15 October 2012 concerning restrictive measures against Belarus and Council Implementing Regulation (EU) No 1017/2012 of 6 November 2012 implementing Article 8a(1) of Regulation (EC) No 765/2006 concerning restrictive measures in respect of Belarus, in so far as those acts concern Sport-pari ZAO;

2. Orders the Council of the European Union to bear its own costs and to pay those incurred by Sport-pari;

3. Orders the European Commission to bear its own costs.