62019TO0480(03)_INF
Order of the General Court (Tenth Chamber, Extended Composition) of 10 June 2025 – Landesbank Baden-Württemberg v SRB (2019 ex ante contributions)
(Case T‑480/19)
(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 2019 ex ante contributions – Obligation to state reasons – Effective judicial protection – Equal treatment – Principle of proportionality – Margin of discretion of the SRB – Plea of illegality – Margin of discretion of the Commission – Article 70(2) of Regulation (EU) No 806/2014 – Action manifestly lacking any foundation in law)
1.
EU institutions – Exercise of powers – Power conferred on the Commission to adopt delegated acts – Scope – Complex assessments and evaluations – Broad discretion – Directive 2014/59 establishing a framework for the recovery and resolution of credit institutions and investment firms – Establishment of the criteria for adjusting ex ante contributions – Judicial review – Limits
(Art. 290 TFEU; European Parliament and Council Regulation No 806/2014, recital 41; European Parliament and Council Directive 2014/59)
(see paragraphs 43, 45, 50)
2.
EU law – Principles – Legal certainty – EU rules – Requirements of clarity and precision – Limits
(see paragraphs 94-97)
3.
EU law – Principles – Legal certainty – EU rules – Requirements of clarity and foreseeability – Delegated Regulation 2015/63 supplementing Directive 2014/59 with regard to ex ante contributions to resolution financing arrangements – Discretion granted to the Single Resolution Board (SRB) regarding the methodology for calculating ex ante contributions – Conditions – Sufficiently clear indication of the scope of the discretion and the manner of its exercise
(Commission Regulation 2015/63, Arts 6(5) to (7) and 7(4))
(see paragraphs 116-119, 121)
4.
Plea of illegality – Admissibility criteria – Plea put forward in a statement of modification of the initial pleadings – Matters of fact and of law known at the time of lodging the application – No amending of the matters of fact and of law in the measure replacing or amending the measure initially contested – Inadmissibility
(Rules of Procedure of the General Court, Art. 86)
(see paragraphs 186, 188, 190, 191, 193, 197, 199)
5.
Acts of the institutions – Statement of reasons – Obligation – Scope – Decision of the Single Resolution Board (SRB) establishing the ex ante contributions to the Single Resolution Fund (SRF) – Not necessary to include, in that decision, all figures necessary for verifying the accuracy of the calculation of the contributions – Weighing the obligation to state reasons against the general principle of protection of the business secrets of the institutions concerned – Legality of the provisions of Regulation 2015/63 concerning the methodology for the calculation of the ex ante contributions to the SRF – Principle of non-disclosure of business secrets – Obligation for the SRB to publish or disclose to the institutions concerned, in collective and anonymised form, the information relating to the institutions that was used to calculate the ex ante contribution
(Art. 290, second para., TFEU; European Parliament and Council Regulation No 806/2014; Commission Regulation 2015/63, Arts 4 to 7 and 9 and Annex I; European Parliament and Council Directive 2014/59)
(see paragraphs 256-267)
6.
Acts of the institutions – Statement of reasons – Obligation – Scope – Decision of the Single Resolution Board (SRB) establishing the ex ante contributions to the Single Resolution Fund (SRF) – Statement of reasons based solely on other legal acts, such as interim decisions, explaining and supplementing certain aspects of the determination of those contributions – Those other acts not published or disclosed to institutions – Unlawfulness
(Art. 296, second para., TFEU)
(see paragraphs 369, 374)
7.
EU law – Principles – Rights of the defence – Right to effective judicial protection – Scope – Decision of the Single Resolution Board (SRB) establishing the ex ante contributions to the Single Resolution Fund (SRF) – Audi alteram partem rule – Exceptions – General principle of protection of business secrets – Striking a balance – Whether permissible
(Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, Art. 47; European Parliament and Council Regulation No 806/2014; Commission Regulation 2015/63, Arts 4 to 7 and 9 and Annex I; European Parliament and Council Directive 2014/59)
(see paragraphs 382-395)
8.
Economic and monetary policy – Economic policy – Single Resolution Mechanism for credit institutions and certain investment firms – Ex ante contributions to the Single Resolution Fund (SRF) – Annual cap on the aggregate amount of the individual contributions to the SRF set at 12.5% of the final target level – Scope – Application during the initial period
(European Parliament and Council Regulation No 806/2014, Art. 70(2), first and fourth subparas.)
(see paragraphs 423, 425)
9.
Economic and monetary policy – Economic policy – Single Resolution Mechanism for credit institutions and certain investment firms – Ex ante contributions to the Single Resolution Fund (SRF) – Annual cap on the aggregate amount of the individual contributions to the SRF set at 12.5% of the final target level – Scope – Cap not to be exceeded by the Single Resolution Board (SRB) – Criteria for assessment – Dynamic approach to the final target level
(European Parliament and Council Regulation No 806/2014, Arts 69(1) and 70(2), first and fourth subparas.)
(see paragraph 426)
Operative part
1.
The action is dismissed.
2.
Landesbank Baden-Württemberg shall bear its own costs and pay those incurred by the Single Resolution Board.
3.
The European Commission shall bear its own costs.