Order of the General Court (Sixth Chamber) of 18 November 2019 –Dickmanns v EUIPO
(Case T‑181/19)
(Civil Service — Members of the temporary staff — Fixed-term contract with a termination clause — Clause terminating the contract in the event that the name of the agent is not included on the reserve list of a competition — Purely confirmatory act — Time limit for complaints — Inadmissibility)
1.      Actions brought by officials — Prior administrative complaint — Implied rejection of a request not challenged within the prescribed time limit — Subsequent express decision — Confirmatory measure
(Staff Regulations of Officials, Art. 91(2))
(see para. 38)
2.      Judicial proceedings — Time limit for instituting proceedings — Claim barred by lapse of time — Strict application of EU rules
(Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, Art. 47)
(see paras 51, 52)
3.      Actions brought by officials — Application for damages linked to an application for annulment — Dismissal of claim for annulment leading to dismissal of the claim for compensation
(Staff Regulations of Officials, Art. 91)
(see paras 56, 57)
4.      Judicial proceedings — Costs — Burden thereof — Taking into account of the requirements of equity — Order for the successful party to pay the costs
(Rules of Procedure of the General Court, Arts 134(1) and 135(2))
(see paras 60-63)
Re:
Application based on Article 270 TFEU and seeking, first, annulment of the decision of EUIPO of 4 June 2018 rejecting the applicant’s requests to remove the termination clause in Article 5 of her contract, reclassify her contract as a contract of indefinite duration, withdraw, if necessary, the decision of 14 December 2017 and grant a second contract extension beyond 30 September 2018 or, at least, include her in the procedure for a second renewal of temporary agent contracts in accordance with the guidelines for the renewal of temporary agent contracts of 28 January 2016 and, second, compensation for the harm allegedly suffered by the applicant.
Operative part
1.
The action is dismissed as inadmissible.
2.
The European Union Intellectual Property Office shall bear its own costs and pay those incurred by Sigrid Dickmanns.