Judgment of the General Court (Third Chamber) of 4 June 2013 — Nencini v Parliament

(Joined Cases T‑431/10 and T‑560/10)

Rules Governing the Payment of Expenses and Allowances to Members of the European Parliament — Travel and parliamentary assistance expenses — Recovery of undue payments — Limitation period — Reasonable period — Rights of the defence — Principle of audi alteram partem — Proportionality

1.                     Actions for annulment — Actionable measures — Concept — Measures producing binding legal effects — Preparatory measures — Not included — Action against a debit note issued by the Directorate General of Finances of the European Parliament concerning the recovery of undue payment of travel expenses and parliamentary assistance — Note merely confirmatory of an earlier decision — Application inadmissible (Art. 263 TFEU) (see paras 27-32)

2.                     EU Law — Principles — Duty to act within a reasonable time — Administrative procedure — Criteria for assessment — Infringement — Consequences (Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, Art. 41(1)) (see paras 43, 44, 51-53)

3.                     European Parliament — Regulation governing the payment of expenses and allowances to Members of the European Parliament — Secretarial allowance — Conditions for grant — Non-compliance — Consequences (see paras 92-94)

4.                     European Parliament — Regulation governing the payment of expenses and allowances to Members of the European Parliament — Recovery of sums unduly paid — Unconditional obligation (see para. 109)

Re:

APPLICATIONS, primarily, for annulment brought against the Decisions of the Secretary General of the European Parliament of 16 July 2010 and 7 October 2010 relating to the recovery of certain sums received by the applicant, a former Member of the European Parliament, in respect of travel and parliamentary assistance expenses unduly paid, the Debit Notes of the Director General of the European Parliament’s Directorate-General for Finances, No 312331 of 4 August 2010 and No 315653 of 13 October 2010, and any other related and/or prior acts and, in the alternative, to remit the applications to the Secretary General of the European Parliament for a fair reassessment of the sum in respect of which recovery is sought.

Operative part

The Court:

1. Dismisses the action in Case T‑560/10;

2. Orders Riccardo Nencini to pay the costs in Case T‑560/10, including the costs relating to the interim proceedings;

3. Orders Case T‑431/10 to be removed from the register;

4. Orders each party to bear their own costs in Case T‑431/10, including the costs relating to the interim proceedings.