Judgment of the General Court (Second Chamber) of 21 December 2021 – HB v Commission

(Case T‑795/19)

(Public service contracts – Provision of technical assistance services to the High Judicial Council – Decision to reduce the amount of the contract and to recover the amounts already paid – Action for annulment and for damages – Act forming part of a purely contractual framework from which it is inseparable – No arbitration clause – Inadmissibility – No heads of damage that are separable from the contract)

1.      Actions for annulment – Admissibility criteria – Considered of the Court’s own motion

(Art. 263 TFEU)

(see para. 53)

2.      Actions for annulment – Action relating in reality to a contractual dispute – Application for the annulment of a decision to reduce the amounts due under a contract and to recover the amounts unduly paid – Contract containing a jurisdiction clause conferring jurisdiction on the national court – Lack of jurisdiction of the EU judicature – Inadmissibility

(Arts 263, 272 and 274 TFEU; Council Regulation No 1605/2002, Arts 102 and 103; Commission Regulation No 2519/97, Art. 22)

(see paras 54-58, 71, 72)

3.      Actions for annulment – Actionable measures – Concept – Measures producing binding legal effects – Assessment of those effects by reference to the substance of the measure

(Art. 263 TFEU)

(see para. 65)

4.      Acts of the institutions – Regulations – Direct applicability

(Art. 288, second para., TFEU)

(see para. 77)

5.      Non-contractual liability – Conditions – Unlawfulness – Damage – Causal link – Cumulative conditions

(Art. 340, second para., TFEU)

(see para. 98)

6.      Non-contractual liability – Conditions – Unlawfulness – Infringement of a contractual provision – Not included

(Art. 340, second para., TFEU)

(see para. 99)

Re:

(i) Application under Article 263 TFEU seeking annulment of Commission Decision C(2019) 7319 final of 15 October 2019 to reduce the amounts due under contract CARDS/2008/166-429 and to recover the amounts unduly paid and (ii) application under the second paragraph of Article 340 TFEU seeking, first of all, reimbursement of any amounts recovered by the Commission on the basis of that decision and payment of the last invoice issued, together with late-payment interest; next, release of the bank guarantee and compensation for the harm allegedly suffered by the applicant on account of its late release; and lastly, symbolic compensation for the non-material harm allegedly suffered by the applicant.

Operative part

The Court:

1. Dismisses the action as inadmissible, in so far as it seeks annulment of Commission Decision C(2019) 7319 final of 15 October 2019 to reduce the amounts due under contract CARDS/2008/166-429 and to recover the amounts unduly paid;

2. Dismisses the action as unfounded, in so far as it seeks to establish non-contractual liability on the part of the European Union;

3. Orders the European Commission to pay the costs, including those relating to the interim proceedings.