Judgment of the General Court (Third Chamber) of 16 October 2013 —
Italy v Commission

(Case T‑248/10)

Languages — Notice of open competition for the recruitment of administrators — Choice of second language from three languages — Regulation No 1/58 — Article 1d(1), Article 27, first paragraph, and Article 28(f) of the Staff Regulations — Article 1(1)(f) of Annex III to the Staff Regulations — Obligation to state reasons — Principle of non-discrimination

1.                     Officials — Competitions — Holding of an open competition — Languages of participation in tests — Equal treatment — Requirement of specific linguistic knowledge — Statement of reasons — Justification in the light of the interests of the service — Observance of the principle of proportionality (Staff Regulations, Arts 1(d)(1) and (6), 27, first para., and 28(f); Annex III, Art. 1(1)(f); Council Regulation No 1, Art. 1) (see paras 29-41)

2.                     Actions brought by officials — Judgment annulling a measure — Effects — Annulment of a notice of open competition — Legitimate expectations of the selected candidates — Results of the competitions not called into question (Art. 266 TFEU; Staff Regulations, Art. 91) (see paras 45-51)

Re:

ACTION for annulment of the notice of open competition EPSO/AD/177/10 — Administrators (AD 5), in the fields of European Public Administration, Law, Economics, Audit, and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) (OJ 2010 C 64A, p. 1).

Operative part

The Court:

1. Annuls the notice of open competition EPSO/AD/177/10 — Administrators (AD 5), in the fields of European Public Administration, Law, Economics, Audit, and Information and Communication Technology (ICT);

2. Orders the European Commission to pay, in addition to its own costs, those incurred by the Italian Republic.