Order — ECLI:EU:T:2004:53
Date: 2004-02-20
Language of the case: English
Court formation: Fifth Chamber
Based on: Treaty establishing the European Economic Community (1957)
Subject matter: Principles, objectives and tasks of the Treaties;Non-contractual liability
Concepts: Admissibility and examination of applications, forms of order sought and pleas in law
Procedure: Action for damages - inadmissible
Origin: United Kingdom

Summary of the Order 
Procedure — Application initiating proceedings — Formal requirements — Identifica­
tion of the subject-matter of the dispute — Summary of the pleas raised — Action 
seeking compensation for damage caused by a Community institution 
(Statute of the Court of Justice, Arts 21, first para., and S3, first para.; Rules of Procedine 
of the Court of First Instance, Art. 44(1)(c) and (d)) 
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SUMMARY — CASE T-319/03 
Under the first paragraph of Article 21 of 
the Statute of the Court of Justice, which, 
pursuant to the first paragraph of Article 53 
of the Statute, applies to proceedings before 
the Court of First Instance, and under 
Article 44(1)(c) and (d) of the Rules of 
Procedure of the Court of First Instance, 
the application must state, among other 
things, the subject-matter of the proceed­
ings, and contain the form of order sought 
and a summary of the pleas in law on 
which the application is based. Those 
matters must be sufficiently clear and 
precise to enable the defendant to prepare 
its defence and the Court to rule on the 
application, if necessary without further 
information. In order to guarantee legal 
certainty and sound administration of jus­
tice, it is necessary, for an action to be 
admissible, that the basic legal and factual 
particulars relied on be indicated, at least in 
summary form, coherently and intelligibly 
in the application itself. 
In order to satisfy those requirements, an 
application seeking compensation for dam­
age allegedly caused by a Community 
institution must state the evidence from 
which the conduct alleged against the 
institution can be identified, the reasons 
for which the applicant considers there is a 
causal link between the conduct and the 
damage it claims to have suffered, and the 
nature and extent of that damage. 
(see paras 13, 14) 
II - 770