Judgment of the General Court (Seventh Chamber) of 25 October 2017 — Lucaccioni v Commission

(Case T‑551/16)

(Civil Service — Officials — Exposure to asbestos and other substances — Industrial disease — Article 73 of the Staff Regulations — Common rules on the insurance against the risk of accident and of occupational disease — Article 14 — Article 266 TFEU — Misuse of power — Medical Committee — Collegiate principle — Breach of the Medical Committee’s mandate — Obligation to state reasons — Action for compensation — Length of the proceedings — Non-pecuniary harm)

1.      Actions for annulment — Judgment annulling a measure — Effects — Obligation to implement — Scope — Adoption of a new measure on the basis of earlier valid preparatory measures — Lawfulness

(Art. 266 TFEU)

(see para. 52)

2.      Acts of the institutions — Temporal application — Procedural rules — Application to proceedings pending at the time when such rules enter into force

(see para. 56)

3.      Actions brought by officials — Pleas in law — Misuse of powers — Concept

(Staff Regulations Arts 90 and 91)

(see para. 64)

4.      Officials — Social security — Insurance against the risk of accident and of occupational disease — Expert medical report — Discretion of the Medical Committee — Judicial review — Limits — Obligation to state reasons — Scope

(Staff Regulations, Art. 73; Rules on insurance against the risk of accident and of occupational disease, Art. 22)

(see paras 78, 79)

5.      Officials — Social security — Insurance against the risk of accident and of occupational disease — Medical Committee — Collegiate principle — Scope — Disagreement between the Committee members having signed the report — Infringement of the principle of collegiality — None

(Staff Regulations, Art. 73; Rules on insurance against the risk of accident and of occupational disease, Art. 22)

(see paras 82, 83)

6.      EU law — Principles — Duty to act within a reasonable time — Infringement in an administrative procedure — Effects

(Charter of the Fundamental Rights of the European Union, Art. 41(1))

(see paras 93, 94)

7.      Officials — Social security — Insurance against the risk of accident and of occupational disease — Expert medical report — Obligation on the Medical Committee to provide a statement of reasons — Insufficient and inconsistent statement of reasons — Legal consequences — Annulment of the decision based on the Medical Committee’s report

(Staff Regulations, Art. 73; Rules on insurance against the risk of accident and of occupational disease, Art. 22)

(see paras 103-105, 109, 114)

8.      Actions brought by officials — Action for damages directly linked to an action for annulment — Admissible despite the lack of a pre-litigation procedure in accordance with the Staff Regulations

(Staff Regulations, Arts 90 and 91)

(see paras 119, 121)

9.      Non-contractual liability — Conditions — Unlawfulness — Harm — Causal link — Cumulative conditions

(Art. 340, second para. TFEU)

(see para. 122)

10.    Officials — Social security — Insurance against the risk of accident and of occupational disease — Medical Committee — Duty to act within a reasonable time — Infringement — Ascribable to the administration — Conditions

(Rules on insurance against the risk of accident and of occupational disease, Art. 22)

(see paras 124, 125, 136)

11.    Actions brought by officials — Judgment annulling a measure — Effects — Obligation to implement — Period of waiting extended by unlawfulness of a decision of an institution — Compensation for non-material harm through appropriate reparation

(Art. 266 TFEU)

(see para. 144)

Re:

ACTION brought on the basis of Article 270 TFEU seeking, firstly, the annulment of the Commission’s decision of 26 June 2014 to grant the applicant only an increase of 20% of the allowance referred to in Article 14 of the Common rules on the insurance of officials of the European [Union] against the risk of accident and of occupational disease following the applicant’s request of 7 June 2000 and, secondly, compensation for the non-pecuniary harm which the applicant has allegedly suffered.

Operative part

The Court:

1. Annuls the European Commission’s decision of 26 June2014, grantingMr Arnaldo Lucaccioni an increase of 20% of the allowance under Article 14 of the Common rules on the insurance of officials of the European [Union]against the risk of accident and of occupational disease;

2. Orders the Commission to payMr Lucaccioni compensation ofEUR 5 000 in respect of the non-pecuniary harm caused;

3. Dismisses the remainder of the action;

4. Orders the Commission to pay the costs.