Judgment of the General Court (Fourth Chamber) of 12 December 2013 —
Nabipour and Others v Council

(Case T‑58/12)

Common foreign and security policy — Restrictive measures against Iran with the aim of preventing nuclear proliferation — Freezing of funds — Restrictions on admission — Duty to state reasons — Error of law — Error of assessment — Temporal adjustment of the effects of an annulment

1.                     Actions for annulment — Jurisdiction of the EU judicature — Claim seeking that directions be issued to an institution — Inadmissibility (Art. 263 TFEU) (see para. 17)

2.                     Judicial proceedings — Decision or regulation replacing the contested measure in the course of proceedings — New factor — Admissibility of new pleas (Rules of Procedure of the General Court, Art. 48(2); Council Decisions 2010/413/CFSP, 2011/783/CFSP and 2013/270/CFSP; Council Regulations No 961/2010, No 1245/2011 and No 267/2012) (see paras 20, 22)

3.                     EU law — Principles — Rights of the defence — Right to effective judicial protection — Freezing of funds and admission measures in relation to certain persons and entities participating in or supporting nuclear proliferation — No right to be heard prior to adoption of such measures — No breach of those rights and principles (Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, Art. 47; Council Decisions 2010/413/CFSP, 2011/783/CFSP and 2013/270/CFSP; Council Regulations No 961/2010, No 1245/2011 and No 267/2012) (see para. 33)

4.                     Acts of the institutions — Statement of reasons — Obligation — Scope — Freezing of funds and admission measures in relation to certain persons and entities participating in or supporting nuclear proliferation — Obligation to communicate the reasoning to the person concerned at the same time as the measure adversely affecting him or immediately thereafter — Obligation to communicate individual and specific reasons as well as the legal basis of the decisions taken — No infringement of the duty to state reasons (Art. 296 TFEU; Council Decisions 2010/413/CFSP, Arts 19(1)(b) and 20(1)(b), 2011/783/CFSP and 2013/270/CFSP; Council Regulations No 961/2010, Art. 16(2), No 1245/2011 and No 267/2012, Art. 23(2)) (see paras 33‑35, 44, 45, 48, 54)

5.                     Acts of the institutions — Statement of reasons — Obligation — Scope — Freezing of funds and admission measures in relation to certain persons and entities participating in or supporting nuclear proliferation — Obligation to communicate the reasoning to the person concerned at the same time as the measure adversely affecting him or immediately thereafter — Correction of an error of reasoning during the proceedings before the Court — Not permissible (Art. 296 TFEU; Council Decisions 2010/413/CFSP, 2011/783/CFSP and 2013/270/CFSP; Council Regulations No 961/2010, No 1245/2011 and No 267/2012) (see paras 34, 36‑39, 79, 133)

6.                     Actions for annulment — Pleas in law — Infringement of essential procedural requirements — Obligation to state reasons – Plea distinct from that concerning legality on the substance (Art. 263, second para., TFEU) (see para. 57)

7.                     European Union — Judicial review of the legality of the acts of the institutions — Restrictive measures against Iran — Measures in the context of the fight against nuclear proliferation — Ambit of the review (Council Decisions 2010/413/CFSP, 2011/783/CFSP and 2013/270/CFSP; Council Regulations No 961/2010, No 1245/2011 and No 267/2012) (see para. 67)

8.                     EU law — Principles — Rights of defence — Freezing of funds and admission measures in relation to persons, entities or organisations participating in or supporting nuclear proliferation — Right of access to documents — Right subject to request for access being made to the Council (Council Decisions 2010/413/CFSP, 2011/783/CFSP and 2013/270/CFSP; Council Regulations No 961/2010, No 1245/2011 and No 267/2012) (see para. 77)

9.                     Acts of the institutions — Statement of reasons — Obligation — Scope — Freezing of funds and admission measures in relation to certain persons and entities participating in or supporting nuclear proliferation — Obligation to communicate individual and specific reasons as well as the legal basis of the decisions taken — Ground based on the concept of a shell company not allowing the persons concerned to understand the facts complained of or the court to exercise its review (Art. 296 TFEU; Council Decisions 2010/413/CFSP, Arts 19(1)(b) and 20(1)(b), 2011/783/CFSP and 2013/270/CFSP; Council Regulations No 961/2010, Art. 16(2), No 1245/2011 and No 267/2012, Art. 23(2)) (see paras 61‑64, 220)

10.                     Common foreign and security policy — Restrictive measures against Iran — Freezing of funds and admission measures in relation to persons, entities or organisations participating in or supporting nuclear proliferation — No conduct corresponding to support for such proliferation — Risk of support for nuclear proliferation in the future — Insufficient to justify the measures in question (Council Decision 2010/413/CFSP, Annex II; Council Regulation No 267/2012, Annex IX) (see paras 95-101, 107, 108, 223‑226)

11.                     Actions for annulment — Judgment annulling a measure — Effects — Limitation by the Court — Restrictive measures against Iran — Partial annulment at two different times of two acts comprising identical restrictive measures — Risk of legal certainty being seriously affected — Maintenance of the effects of the first of those acts until the taking effect of annulment of the second (Arts 264, second para., TFEU and 280 TFEU; Statute of the Court of Justice, Art. 60, second para.; Council Decisions 2010/413/CFSP, 2011/783/CFSP and 2013/270/CFSP; Council Regulations No 961/2010, No 1245/2011 and No 267/2012) (see paras 245‑251)

Re:

APPLICATION for annulment, first, of Council Decision 2011/783/CFSP of 1 December 2011 amending Decision 2010/413/CFSP concerning restrictive measures against Iran (OJ 2011 L 319, p. 71), of Council Implementing Regulation (EU) No 1245/2011 of 1 December 2011 implementing Regulation (EU) No 961/2010 on restrictive measures against Iran (OJ 2011 L 319, p. 11), and of Council Regulation (EU) No 267/2012 of 23 March 2012 concerning restrictive measures against Iran and repealing Regulation (EU) No 961/2010 (OJ 2012 L 88, p. 1), in so far as those acts concern the applicants, and, secondly, of Council Decision 2013/270/CFSP of 6 June 2013 amending Decision 2010/413/CFSP concerning restrictive measures against Iran (OJ 2013 L 156, p. 10), in so far as that decision concerns the fourth and ninth applicants.

Operative part

The Court:

1. Annuls Council Decision 2011/783/CFSP of 1 December 2011 amending Decision 2010/413/CFSP concerning restrictive measures against Iran, in so far as it listed the names of Mr Ghasem Nabipour, Mr Mansour Eslami, Mr Mohamad Talai, Mr Mohammad Moghaddami Fard, Mr Alireza Ghezelayagh, Mr Gholam Hossein Golparvar, Mr Hassan Jalil Zadeh, Mr Mohammad Hadi Pajand, Mr Ahmad Sarkandi, Mr Seyed Alaeddin Sadat Rasool and Mr Ahmad Tafazoly in Annex II to Council Decision 2010/413/CFSP of 26 July 2010 concerning restrictive measures against Iran and repealing Common Position 2007/140/CFSP;

2. Annuls Council Implementing Regulation (EU) No 1245/2011 of 1 December 2011 implementing Regulation (EU) No 961/2010 on restrictive measures against Iran, in so far as it listed the names of Mr Nabipour, Mr Eslami, Mr Talai, Mr Fard, Mr Ghezelayagh, Mr Golparvar, Mr Zadeh, Mr Pajand, Mr Sarkandi, Mr Sadat Rasool and Mr Tafazoly in Annex VIII to Council Regulation (EU) No 961/2010 of 25 October 2010 on restrictive measures against Iran and repealing Regulation (EC) No 423/2007;

3. Annuls Annex IX to Council Regulation (EU) No 267/2012 of 23 March 2012 concerning restrictive measures against Iran and repealing Regulation No 961/2010, in so far as it concerns Mr Nabipour, Mr Eslami, Mr Talai, Mr Fard, Mr Ghezelayagh, Mr Golparvar, Mr Zadeh, Mr Pajand, Mr Sarkandi, Mr Sadat Rasool and Mr Tafazoly;

4. Annuls Council Decision 2013/270/CFSP of 6 June 2013 amending Decision 2010/413 in so far as it concerns Mr Fard and Mr Sarkandi;

5. Orders the effects of Decision 2011/783 and of Decision 2013/270 to be maintained as regards Mr Nabipour, Mr Eslami, Mr Talai, Mr Fard, Mr Ghezelayagh, Mr Golparvar, Mr Zadeh, Mr Pajand, Mr Sarkandi, Mr Sadat Rasool and Mr Tafazoly from their entry into force until the annulment in part of Regulation No 267/2012 takes effect;

6. Dismisses the action as to the remainder;

7. Orders the Council of the European Union to bear its own costs and to pay those incurred by Mr Nabipour, Mr Eslami, Mr Talai, Mr Fard, Mr Ghezelayagh, Mr Golparvar, Mr Zadeh, Mr Pajand, Mr Sarkandi, Mr Sadat Rasool and Mr Tafazoly.