Information;Judgment — ECLI:EU:T:2020:438
Date: 2020-09-23
Language of the case: German
Court formation: Eighth Chamber, Extended Composition
Subject matter: Economic and monetary policy
Procedure: Action for annulment - successful
Origin: Germany

Judgment of the General Court (Eighth Chamber, Extended Composition) of 23 September 2020 – Portigon v SRB (Case T‑420/17) (Economic and monetary union – Banking union – Single Resolution Mechanism for credit institutions and certain investment firms (SRM) – Single Resolution Fund (SRF) – Decision of the SRB on the calculation of the 2017 ex ante contributions – Action for annulment – Direct and individual concern – Admissibility – Essential procedural requirements – Authentication of the decision – Obligation to state reasons – Limitation of the temporal effects of the judgment) 1. Actions for annulment – Natural or legal persons – Locus standi – Measures of direct and individual concern to them – Decisions of the Single Resolution Board (SRB) on the calculation of the ex ante contributions to the Single Resolution Fund (SRF) – Direct and individual concern of an institution owing those contributions (Art. 263, fourth para. TFEU; European Parliament and Council Regulation No 806/2014, Arts 67(4) and 70(2)) (see paras 40, 41, 91, 94) 2. Actions for annulment – Pleas in law – Infringement of essential procedural requirements – Lack of authentication of the contested decision – Need to rely on harm or defects other than lack of authentication – None – Issue that must be raised of the Court’s own motion (Art. 263 TFEU) (see paras 47-52) 3. Actions for annulment – Pleas in law – Infringement of essential procedural requirements – Lack of authentication of the contested decision – Annex to the contested decision constituting an essential component thereof – Electronic document not signed and not inextricably linked to the text of the contested decision (Art. 263 TFEU) (see paras 58, 59, 66) 4. Actions for annulment – Pleas in law – Infringement of essential procedural requirements – Lack of authentication of an act – Absence of or inadequate statement of reasons – Issue that must be raised of the Court’s own motion (Arts 263 and 296 TFEU) (see paras 61, 62, 129) 5. Acts of the institutions – Statement of reasons – Obligation – Scope – Close connection between the obligation to state reasons and the right to effective judicial protection (Art. 296, second para. TFEU; Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, Art. 47) (see paras 86-90, 92) 6. Acts of the institutions – Statement of reasons – Obligation – Scope – Decision of the Single Resolution Board (SRB) on the calculation of the ex ante contributions to the Single Resolution Fund (SRF) – Opacity of the calculation of the ex ante contributions – Calculation relying in an interdependent manner on the confidential data of the other institutions – Infringement of the obligation to state reasons stemming, in respect of the part of the calculation relating to the risk adjustment, from the illegal nature, alleged by means of a plea in law, of Articles 4 to 7 and 9 of, and Annex I to, Delegated Regulation 2015/63 (Arts 296 and 277 TFEU; European Parliament and Council Regulation No 806/2014, Arts 67(4) and 70(2); Commission Regulation 2015/63, Arts 4 to 7 and 9 and Annex I; European Parliament and Council Directive 2014/59, Art. 103) (see paras 95, 98, 105, 110-113, 127, 129-131) 7. Actions for annulment – Judgment annulling a measure – Effects – Limitation by the Court – Decision of the Single Resolution Board (SRB) on the calculation of the ex ante contributions to the Single Resolution Fund (SRF) – Annulment calling into question the collection of sums of money made on the basis of the annulled measure – Risk of undermining the legal certainty of the interests involved – None (Art. 264, second para. TFEU) (see paras 134-137) Re: Application based on Article 263 TFEU for annulment of the decision of the Single Resolution Board in its executive session of 11 April 2017 on the calculation of the 2017 ex ante contributions to the Single Resolution Fund (SRB/ES/SRF/2017/05) in so far as it concerns the applicant. Operative part The Court: 1. Annuls the decision of the Single Resolution Board (SRB) of 11 April 2017 on the calculation of the 2017 ex ante contributions to the Single Resolution Fund (SRB/ES/SRF/2017/05) in so far as it concerns Portigon AG; 2. Orders the SRB to bear its own costs and to pay those incurred by Portigon; 3. Orders the Commission to bear its own costs.