Action brought on 17 January 2012 - MAF v European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority
(Case T-23/12)
Language of the case: French
Parties
Applicant: Mutuelle des Architectes Français assurances (MAF) (Paris, France) (represented by: S. Orlandi, A. Coolen, J.-N. Louis, E. Marchal and D. Abreu Caldas, lawyers)
Defendant: European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority
Form of order sought
The applicant claims that the Court should:
annul the decisions to publish on the Authority's website all the information solely in English, including the public consultations launched on 7 and 8 November 2011 and 21 December 2011;
to the extent necessary, annul the Authority's decision of 16 January 2012;
order the Authority to pay the costs.
Pleas in law and main arguments
In support of the action, the applicant relies on two pleas in law.
First plea in law, alleging infringement of Articles 8(1)(k) and 73 of Regulation No 1094/2010 in that those provisions require the defendant to publish on its website information relating to its activities in all the official languages of the European Union (EU). The applicant alleges a manifest error of assessment and an error of law in so far as the defendant justifies the refusal to publish the public consultations at issue in the applicant's language, in particular on grounds of cost, whereas it is stated in Article 73(3) of Regulation No 1094/2010 that the translation services required for the functioning of the Authority are to be provided by the Translation Centre for the Bodies of the European Union.
Second plea in law, concerning the scope of the obligation to publish in the official languages of the European Union. The applicant submits that that obligation applies equally to the public consultations launched by the defendant and not only to the defendant's annual report, work programme and guidelines and recommendations.
____________1 - Regulation (EU) No 1094/2010 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 November 2010 establishing a European Supervisory Authority (European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority), amending Decision No 716/2009/EC and repealing Commission Decision 2009/79/EC (OJ 2010 L 331, p. 48).