Judgment of the General Court of 2 June 2016 — Bank Mellat v Council
(Case T-160/13) 1
(Common foreign and security policy — Restrictive measures against Iran — Restrictions on transfers of funds involving Iranian financial institutions — Jurisdiction of the General Court — Action for annulment — Regulatory act not entailing implementing measures — Whether directly concerned — Interest in bringing proceedings — Admissibility — Proportionality — Obligation to state reasons — Legal safeguards as referred to in Article 215(3) TFEU — Legal certainty — Non-arbitrariness — Breach of fundamental rights)
Language of the case: English
Parties
Applicant: Bank Mellat (Tehran, Iran) (represented initially by S. Zaiwalla, P. Reddy, F. Zaiwalla, Z. Burbeza, A. Meskarian, Solicitors, D. Wyatt QC, R. Blakeley and G. Beck, Barristers, and subsequently by S. Zaiwalla, P. Reddy, Z. Burbeza, A. Meskarian, D. Wyatt QC, R. Blakeley and G. Beck)
Defendant: Council of the European Union (represented by: M. Bishop and I. Rodios, acting as Agents)
Interveners in support of the defendant: European Commission (represented by: D. Gauci and M. Konstantinidis, acting as Agents); and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (represented initially by S. Behzadi-Spencer, L. Christie and C. Brodie, and subsequently by C. Brodie and V. Kaye, acting as Agents, and by S. Lee, Barrister)
Re:
Application for annulment of Article 1(15) of Council Regulation (EU) No 1263/2012 of 21 December 2012 amending Regulation (EU) No 267/2012 concerning restrictive measures against Iran (OJ 2012 L 356, p. 34), or annulment of that provision in so far as it does not provide for an exception that applies in the applicant’s case, and for a declaration that Article 1(6) of Council Decision 2012/635/CFSP of 15 October 2012 amending Decision 2010/413/CFSP concerning restrictive measures against Iran (OJ 2012 L 282, p. 58) is inapplicable.
Operative part of the judgment
The Court:
Dismisses the action;
Orders Bank Mellat to bear its own costs and to pay those incurred by the Council of the European Union;
Orders the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the European Commission to bear their own costs.
____________1 OJ C 147, 25.5.2013.