Judgment of the General Court (Fifth Chamber) of 6 June 2013 — VIP Car Solutions v Parliament

(Case T‑668/11)

Non-contractual liability — Public service contracts — Community procurement procedure — Transport of Members of the European Parliament in chauffeur-driven cars and minibuses during sessions at Strasbourg — Rejection of the bid of a tenderer — Annulment by the General Court of the rejection decision — Loss allegedly suffered following the decision rejecting the applicant’s bid — Action for damages

1.                     Actions for damages — Autonomy in relation to the action for annulment — Limits — Misuse of procedure — Burden of proof (Arts 268 TFEU and 340, second para., TFEU) (see para. 18)

2.                     Judicial proceedings — Application initiating proceedings — Formal requirements — Identification of the subject-matter of the dispute — Brief summary of the pleas in law on which the application is based — Action for compensation for damage caused by an EU institution (Rules of Procedure of the General Court, Art. 44(1)(c)) (see para. 28)

3.                     Non-contractual liability — Conditions — Unlawfulness — Damage — Causal link — Cumulative conditions — One of the conditions not satisfied — Action dismissed in its entirety (Art. 340, second para., TFEU) (see paras 34, 35, 38)

4.                     Non-contractual liability — Conditions — Unlawfulness — Damage — Causal link — Annulment for lack of reasoning of a decision of the European Parliament having rejected a tender under the procedure for awarding a public service contract — Reality of the unlawfulness and the causal link dependent on the examination of pleas having to be directed against the decision replacing the annulled decision (Art. 340, second para., TFEU) (see paras 39, 40)

Re:

ACTION for damages seeking compensation for the loss which the applicant claims to have suffered as a result of the Parliament’s decision of 24 January 2007 rejecting its tender submitted in the context of the tender procedure relating to transport for Members of the European Parliament in chauffeur-driven cars and minibuses during part-sessions in Strasbourg (PE/2006/06/UTD/1), subsequently annulled by the judgment in Case T‑89/07  VIP Car Solutions v Parliament [2009] ECR II‑1403.

Operative part

The Court:

1. Dismisses the appeal;

2. Orders VIP Car Solutions SARL to pay the costs.