JUDGMENT OF THE GENERAL COURT (Appeal Chamber)

14 January 2016

Case T‑94/13 P

Ioannis Ntouvas

v

European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC)

(Appeal — Civil service — Contract staff — Reports procedure — Career development report — 2010 appraisal procedure — Dismissal of the action at first instance — Time-limit for submission of the defence — Extension — Exceptional circumstances — Article 39(2) of the Rules of Procedure of the Civil Service Tribunal — Lawfulness of the appraisal procedure)

Appeal:      against the judgment of the European Union Civil Service Tribunal (Second Chamber) of 11 December 2012 in Ntouvas v ECDC (F‑107/11, ECR-SC, EU:F:2012:182), seeking to have that judgment set aside.

Held:      The appeal is dismissed. Mr Ioannis Ntouvas is to pay the costs.

Summary

1.      Appeal — Grounds of appeal — Ground directed against the Tribunal’s decision to extend the time-limit for lodging the defence — Admissibility

(Art. 257 TFEU; Statute of the Court of Justice, Annex I, Art. 11(1))

2.      Judicial proceedings — Lodging of the defence — Time-limit — Extension — Exceptional circumstances — Discretion of the President of the Civil Service Tribunal

(Rules of Procedure of the Civil Service Tribunal, Art. 39(2))

1.      In an appeal brought against a judgment of the Civil Service Tribunal, measures taken by the Tribunal during the proceedings which could affect the interests of the party challenging them may be the subject of the General Court’s review of the lawfulness of the procedure under Article 11 of Annex I to the Statute of the Court of Justice. The General Court may thus rule on an extension of the time-limit for lodging the defence granted by the Civil Service Tribunal.

(see paras 30, 31)

See:

Judgment of 13 December 2012 in Commission v Strack, T‑197/11 P and T‑198/11 P, ECR-SC, EU:T:2012:690, paras 92 and 93

2.      Article 39(2) of the Tribunal’s Rules of Procedure provides that, on a reasoned application, the President of the Tribunal may, in exceptional circumstances, extend the time-limit for lodging the defence. In this regard, it is for the defendant to state reasons for its application under that provision by submitting the arguments which it considers relevant and substantiating those arguments, where it feels that is necessary, by evidence. However, such evidence is not necessary for the application to be held valid.

Moreover, under Article 39(2) of the Rules of Procedure of the Tribunal, the President of the Tribunal has the power to decide on an extension of the time-limit for lodging the defence, which he may grant in exceptional circumstances. Having regard to the wording and scheme of that provision, the President of the Tribunal must be allowed a wide discretion so far as concerns the circumstances put forward as exceptional and whether such an extension should be granted.

(see paras 37, 44-46)

See:

Judgment of 13 December 2012 in Commission v Strack, T‑197/11 P and T‑198/11 P, ECR-SC, EU:T:2012:690, para. 92