Judgment of the General Court of 7 June 2013 – Italy v Commission

(Case T-267/07) ¹

(EAGGF – Guarantee Section – Clearance of accounts – Expenditure excluded from financing – Excessive delay in the assessment by the Commission of the communications sent pursuant to Article 5(2) of Regulation (EEC) No 595/91– Article 32(5) of Regulation (EC) No 1290/2005 – Obligation to state reasons – Reasonable time)

Language of the case: Italian

Parties

Applicant: Italian Republic (represented by: G. Aiello and S. Fiorentino, avvocati dello Stato)

Defendant: European Commission (represented by: C. Cattabriga and F. Erlbacher, acting as Agents)

Re:

Application for partial annulment of Commission Decision 2007/327/EC of 27 April 2007 on the clearance of the accounts of the paying agencies of Member States concerning expenditure financed by the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF), Guarantee Section, for the 2006 financial year (OJ 2007 L 122, p. 51).

Operative part of the judgment

The Court:

Annuls Commission Decision 2007/327/EC of 27 April 2007 on the clearance of the accounts of the paying agencies of Member States concerning expenditure financed by the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF), Guarantee Section, for the 2006 financial year in that that the Commission charged to the Italian Republic 50% of the financial consequences of the failure to recover with respect to the following cases of irregularities: Coprap (IT/1987/001), Tabacchi Levante (IT/1987/002), Casearia Sarda (IT/1991/001), Beca (IT/1994/009), Soc.Coop.Super (IT/1995/003/A), Vinicola Magna (IT/1995/005/A), Eurotrade (IT/1995/015/A), COASO – Italiana Tabacchi (IT/1995/016/A), Ionia (IT/1995/017/A), Beca (IT/1995/018), Addeo Fruit (IT/1995/021), Quaranta (IT/1996/003), D’Apolito (IT/1996/007), Sibillo (IT/1996/016), Agrocom (IT/1996/019), Procaccini (IT/1996/020), Addeo Fruit (IT/1996/023), Mediterrane Vini (IT/1996/001), Oleificio Centro Italia (IT/1996/029), Procaccini (IT/1997/002), Soc.Coop.Super (IT/1997/006/A), Savict (IT/1997/01), Agricola S. Giuseppe (IT/1997/012), Terra D’Oro (IT/1997/017/A), Toscana Tabacchi (IT/1997/018).

Dismisses the action as to the remainder.

Orders the Italian Republic to pay four fifths of its own costs and four fifths of the costs incurred by the European Commission.

Orders the Commission to pay one fifth of its own costs and one fifth of the costs incurred by the Italian Republic.

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¹ OJ C 223, 22.9.2007.