Order of the General Court (Ninth Chamber) of 22 December 2014 — Al Assad v Council

(Case T‑407/13)

Actions for annulment — Common foreign and security policy — Restrictive measures taken against Syria — Freezing of funds — Inclusion of an individual on the lists of targeted persons — Personal connections with members of the regime — Rights of the defence — Fair hearing — Obligation to state reasons — Burden of proof — Right to effective judicial protection — Proportionality — Right to property — Right to privacy — Principle of res judicata — Inadmissibility — Manifest inadmissibility — Action devoid of legal foundation

1.                     Judicial proceedings — Decision to join cases — Discretion of the General Court (Rules of Procedure of the General Court, Art. 50(1)) (see para. 46)

2.                     Actions for annulment — Judgment annulling a measure — Scope — Absolute authority of res judicata — Scope (Art. 263 TFEU) (see paras 49, 50)

3.                     Judicial proceedings — Decision or regulation replacing the contested measure in the course of proceedings — New factor — Extension of the initial pleadings (Rules of Procedure of the General Court, Art. 48(2); Council Decisions 2013/255/CFSP and 2013/760/CFSP; Council Regulations No 36/2012 and No 1332/2013) (see para. 59)

4.                     Judicial proceedings — Application initiating proceedings — Formal requirements — No brief summary of the pleas in law on which the application is based — Inadmissibility (Rules of Procedure of the General Court, Art. 44(1)(c)) (see para. 61)

5.                     Judicial proceedings — Objection of lis pendens — Same parties, subject-matter and submissions in two actions — Identical pleas of an earlier action declared inadmissible — Cessation of lis alibi pendens (see para. 63)

6.                     Actions for annulment — Time-limits — Point from which time starts to run — Measure entailing restrictive measures against a person or body — Measure communicated to the lawyer representing the addressee  — Lawfulness (Art. 263, sixth para., TFEU; Council Regulation No 36/2012, Art. 32) (see para. 67)

7.                     Judicial proceedings — Admissibility of actions — Judged by reference to the situation when the application was lodged — Decision replacing the contested decision during the proceedings — Adaptation of initial forms of order sought and pleas in law — Possibility subject to the admissibility of the initial application (Rules of Procedure of the General Court, Art. 48(2)) (see para. 72)

8.                     Acts of the institutions — Statement of reasons — Obligation — Scope — Freezing of funds of persons, entities or bodies associated with the Syrian regime — Obligation to communicate the reasoning to the person concerned at the same time as the measure adversely affecting him or immediately thereafter — Limits — Safety of the Union and the Member States or conduct of their international relations — Decision falling within a context known to the person concerned, enabling him to understand the scope of the measure taken against him — Whether a summary statement of reasons is sufficient (Art. 296, second para., TFEU; Council Regulation No 363/2013) (see paras 89-91)

9.                     Actions for annulment — Grounds — Infringement of essential procedural requirements — Obligation to state reasons — Separate ground from the one concerning substantive legality (Art. 263, second para., TFEU) (see para. 97)

10.                     EU law — Principles — Rights of defence — Right to effective judicial protection — Freezing of funds of persons, entities or bodies associated with the Syrian regime — Obligation to disclose individual and specific grounds for the decisions adopted — Scope (Art. 6(1) TEU; Art. 296, second para., TFEU; Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, Arts 41(2)(a), 47 and 48; Council Decisions 2013/255/CFSP and 2013/760/CFSP; Council Regulation No 363/2013) (see paras 103-106)

11.                     Common foreign and security policy — Restrictive measures against Syria — Freezing of funds of persons, entities or bodies associated with the Syrian regime — Rights of defence — Disclosure of inculpatory evidence — Subsequent decision maintaining the name of a person on the list of persons concerned by those measures — No infringement of the right to be heard (Art. 296, second para., TFEU; Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, Art. 47; Council Decisions 2013/255/CFSP and 2013/760/CFSP; Council Regulation No 363/2013) (see paras 108-111, 114)

12.                     Common foreign and security policy — Restrictive measures against Syria — Freezing of funds of persons, entities or bodies associated with the Syrian regime — Application to natural persons solely because of their family connection with the country’s leaders — Lawfulness (Arts 75 TFEU and 215 TFEU; Council Decision 2011/273/CFSP; Council Regulations No 36/2012 and No 363/2013) (see paras 126-135, 138, 139)

13.                     Common foreign and security policy — Restrictive measures against Syria — Freezing of the funds of persons, entities or organisations associated with the Syrian regime — Restrictions on the right to property — No breach of principle of proportionality (Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, Arts 7 and 17; Council Regulations No 36/2012 and No 363/2013) (see paras 147-155)

Re:

APPLICATION for partial annulment of, first, Council Implementing Regulation (EU) No 363/2013 of 22 April 2013 implementing Regulation (EU) No 36/2012 concerning restrictive measures in view of the situation in Syria (OJ 2013 L 111, p. 1, corrigendum OJ 2013 L 127, p. 27), secondly, Council Decision 2013/255/CFSP of 31 May 2013 concerning restrictive measures against Syria (OJ 2013 L 147, p. 14), thirdly, Council Regulation (EU) No 1332/2013 of 13 December 2013 amending Regulation (EU) No 36/2012 concerning restrictive measures in view of the situation in Syria (OJ 2013 L 335, p. 3), fourthly, Council Decision 2013/760/CFSP of 13 December 2013 amending Decision 2013/255 (OJ 2013 L 335, p. 50), fifthly, Council Implementing Regulation (EU) No 578/2014 of 28 May 2014 implementing Regulation (EU) No 36/2012 concerning restrictive measures in view of the situation in Syria (OJ 2014 L 160, p. 11), and sixthly, Council Decision 2014/309/CFSP of 28 May 2014 amending Decision 2013/255 (OJ 2014 L 160, p. 37) in so far as the applicant’s name has been maintained on the lists of persons and entities to which those restrictive measures apply.

Operative part

1. The action is dismissed as inadmissible in so far as it seeks annulment of Council Decision 2013/255/CFSP of 31 May 2013 concerning restrictive measures against Syria.

2. The action is dismissed as manifestly inadmissible in so far as it seeks annulment of Council Regulation (EU) No 1332/2013 of 13 December 2013 amending Regulation (EU) No 36/2012 concerning restrictive measures in view of the situation in Syria, Council Decision 2013/760/CFSP of 13 December 2013 amending Decision 2013/255, and Council Decision 2014/309/CFSP of 28 May 2014 amending Decision 2013/255.

3. The action is dismissed as in part manifestly inadmissible and in part manifestly lacking any foundation in law in so far as it seeks annulment of Council Implementing Regulation (EU) No 363/2013 of 22 April 2013 implementing Regulation (EU) No 36/2012 concerning restrictive measures in view of the situation in Syria, and Council Implementing Regulation (EU) No 578/2014 of 28 May 2014 implementing Regulation (EU) No 36/2012 concerning restrictive measures in view of the situation in Syria.

4. Ms Bouchra Al Assad is ordered to pay the costs.