Judgment of the General Court of 31 January 2024 – United Kingdom v Commission

(Case T-56/22) ¹

(EAGF and EAFRD – Expenditure excluded from financing – Conformity clearance procedure – Action for annulment – Agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union and from Euratom – Representation by a lawyer authorised to practise before a court of a Member State or of another State which is a party to the EEA Agreement – Locus standi – Admissibility – Active farmer – Concept of ‘group of natural or legal persons’)

Language of the case: English

Parties

Applicant: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (represented by: S. Fuller, acting as Agent, and by T. Buley, KC)

Defendant: European Commission (represented by: H. Krämer, J. Aquilina and A. Becker, acting as Agents)

Intervener in support of the applicant: Czech Republic (represented by M. Smolek, J. Vláčil, O. Serdula and J. Očková, acting as Agents)

Re:

By its action under Article 263 TFEU, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland seeks the partial annulment of Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2021/2020 of 17 November 2021 excluding from European Union financing certain expenditure incurred by the Member States under the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund (EAGF) and under the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) (OJ 2021 L 413, p. 10), in so far as it concerns expenditure that the United Kingdom incurred in 2017 in the amount of EUR 2 686 358.72.

Operative part of the judgment

The Court:

Dismisses the action;

Orders the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to pay the costs.

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¹ OJ C 158, 11.4.2022.