Information;Judgment — ECLI:EU:T:2021:158
Date: 2021-03-24
Language of the case: French
Court formation: Fifth Chamber
Subject matter: Provisions governing the Institutions
Procedure: Action for annulment - unfounded
Origin: France

Judgment of the General Court (Fifth Chamber) of 24 March 2021 – Bennahmias v Parliament (Case T‑798/19) (Institutional law – Rules governing the payment of expenses and allowances to Members of the European Parliament – Parliamentary assistance allowance – Recovery of sums unduly paid – Burden of proof – Obligation to state reasons – Error of law – Error of fact – Proportionality) 1. Action for annulment – Review of legality – Criteria – Account taken only of elements of fact and law existing at the date on which the contested measure was adopted (Art. 263 TFEU) (see para. 18) 2. Acts of the institutions – Statement of reasons – Obligation – Scope – Decision of the Parliament ordering the recovery of a sum wrongfully paid by way of parliamentary assistance (Art. 296, second para., TFEU) (see para. 23) 3. European Parliament – Members – Payment of expenses and allowances – Parliamentary assistance allowances – Bearing of costs not connected to exercise of the Parliamentary mandate – Not included (Decision of the Bureau of the European Parliament concerning implementing measures for the Statute of Members of the European Parliament, Art. 33(2), first sentence) (see para. 66) 4. European Parliament – Members – Payment of expenses and allowances – Parliamentary assistance allowances – Check relating to the use of parliamentary assistance costs – Burden of proof (Decision of the Bureau of the European Parliament concerning implementing measures for the Statute of Members of the European Parliament, Art. 33(2), second sentence) (see paras 67-70) 5. European Parliament – Members – Payment of expenses and allowances – Recovery of sums unduly paid – Amount to be recovered – Parliament’s lack of discretion – Claim by the Member concerned of infringement of the principle of proportionality – Rejection (Decision of the Bureau of the European Parliament concerning implementing measures for the Statute of Members of the European Parliament, Art. 68(1), first sentence) (see paras 80-83) Re: Application under Article 263 TFEU seeking annulment of the decision of the Secretary-General of the Parliament of 16 September 2019 concerning the recovery from the applicant of a sum of EUR 29 806 unduly paid as parliamentary assistance allowance and the debit note of 19 September 2019 relating thereto. Operative part The Court: 1. Dismisses the action; 2. Orders Mr Jean-Luc Bennahmias to bear his own costs and pay those incurred by the European Parliament.