62022TJ0301_INF
Judgment of the General Court (First Chamber) of 10 April 2024 –Aven v Council
(Case T‑301/22) (
1
)
(Common foreign and security policy – Restrictive measures in respect of actions undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine – Freezing of funds – List of persons, entities and bodies subject to the freezing of funds and economic resources – Inclusion and maintenance of the applicant’s name on the list – Concept of ‘supporting or implementing actions or policies’ – Article 2(1)(a) of Decision 2014/145/CFSP – Article 3(1)(a) of Regulation (EU) No 269/2014 – Concepts of ‘supporting, materially or financially, Russian decision-makers’ and of ‘benefitting’ from those decision-makers – Article 2(1)(d) of Decision 2014/145 – Article 3(1)(d) of Regulation No 269/2014 – Error of assessment)
1.
European Union – Judicial review of the legality of the acts of the institutions – Restrictive measures taken in view of the situation in Ukraine – Scope of the review – Assessment of the legality by reference to the information available at the time of adoption of the decision – No substitution of the grounds supporting the measures under review
(Art. 263 TFEU; Council Decision 2014/145/CFSP, as amended by Decisions (CFSP) 2022/337 and (CFSP) 2022/1530; Council Regulations No 269/2014, 2022/336 and 2022/1529)
(see paragraph 24)
2.
European Union – Judicial review of the legality of the acts of the institutions – Restrictive measures taken in view of the situation in Ukraine – Scope of the review – Proof that the measure is well founded – Obligation on the competent EU authority to establish, in the event of challenge, that the reasons relied on against the persons or entities concerned are well founded – Inclusion on the lists based on a specific, precise and consistent set of indicia – Role of the EU judicature
(Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, Art. 47; Council Decision 2014/145/CFSP, as amended by Decisions (CFSP) 2022/337 and (CFSP) 2022/1530; Council Regulations No 269/2014, 2022/336 and 2022/1529)
(see paragraphs 30-35)
3.
Common foreign and security policy – Restrictive measures taken in view of the situation in Ukraine – Criteria for adopting restrictive measures – Natural or legal persons, entities or bodies providing material or financial support to Russian decision-makers or benefitting from those decision-makers, and natural or legal persons, entities or bodies associated with them – Concept of benefitting from Russian decision-makers – No need to establish a link between the advantages obtained and the annexation of Crimea or the destabilisation of Eastern Ukraine
(Council Decision 2014/145/CFSP, as amended by Decision (CFSP) 2022/329, Art. 2(1)(d); Council Regulations No 269/2014, Art. 3(1)(d), and 2022/330)
(see paragraph 42)
4.
Common foreign and security policy – Restrictive measures taken in view of the situation in Ukraine – Criteria for adopting restrictive measures – Natural or legal persons, entities or bodies providing material or financial support to Russian decision-makers or benefitting from those decision-makers, and natural or legal persons, entities or bodies associated with them – Provision of active material or financial support to the Russian decision-makers responsible for the annexation of Crimea or the destabilisation of Eastern Ukraine – Benefit drawn from those decision-makers – Concept of benefitting from Russian decision-makers – Benefit obtained from Russian decision-makers who have not started to prepare the annexation of Crimea and the destabilisation of Eastern Ukraine – Not included
(Council Decision 2014/145/CFSP, as amended by Decisions (CFSP) 2022/329, (CFSP) 2022/337 and (CFSP) 2022/1530, Art. 2(1)(d); Council Regulations No 269/2014, 2022/330, 2022/336 and 2022/1529, Art. 3(1)(d))
(see paragraphs 46-53)
5.
Common foreign and security policy – Restrictive measures taken in view of the situation in Ukraine – Criteria for adopting restrictive measures – Natural or legal persons, entities or bodies providing material or financial support to Russian decision-makers or benefitting from those decision-makers, and natural or legal persons, entities or bodies associated with them – Concept of benefitting from Russian decision-makers – Provision of information on the possible adoption of sanctions – Not included
(Council Decision 2014/145/CFSP, as amended by Decisions (CFSP) 2022/329, (CFSP) 2022/337 and (CFSP) 2022/1530, Art. 2(1)(d); Council Regulations No 269/2014, 2022/330, 2022/336 and 2022/1529, Art. 3(1)(d))
(see paragraph 74)
6.
Common foreign and security policy – Restrictive measures taken in view of the situation in Ukraine – Scope – Persons responsible for, supporting or implementing actions or policies which undermine or threaten the territorial integrity, sovereignty or independence of Ukraine, and natural or legal persons, entities or bodies associated with them – Concept of supporting – Supporting measures taking place at the time of adoption of the contested measures or in immediate temporal proximity to them – Included – Past acts that exhausted their effects by when they were carried out – Not included
(Council Decision 2014/145/CFSP, as amended by Decisions (CFSP) 2022/329, (CFSP) 2022/337 and (CFSP) 2022/1530, Art. 2(1)(a); Council Regulations No 269/2014, 2022/330, 2022/336 and 2022/1529, Art. 3(1)(a))
(see paragraphs 80, 81)
7.
Common foreign and security policy – Restrictive measures taken in view of the situation in Ukraine – Criteria for adopting restrictive measures – Persons responsible for, supporting or implementing actions or policies which undermine or threaten the territorial integrity, sovereignty or independence of Ukraine, and natural or legal persons, entities or bodies associated with them – Natural or legal persons, entities or bodies providing material or financial support to Russian decision-makers or benefitting from those decision-makers, and natural or legal persons, entities or bodies associated with them – Error of assessment
(Council Decision 2014/145/CFSP, as amended by Decisions (CFSP) 2022/337 and (CFSP) 2022/1530; Council Regulations No 269/2014, 2022/336 and 2022/1529)
(see paragraphs 55-60, 70, 75, 84-87)
Operative part
The Court:
1.
Annuls Council Decision (CFSP) 2022/337 of 28 February 2022 amending Decision 2014/145/CFSP concerning restrictive measures in respect of actions undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine, Council Implementing Regulation (EU) 2022/336 of 28 February 2022 implementing Regulation (EU) No 269/2014 concerning restrictive measures in respect of actions undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine, Council Decision (CFSP) 2022/1530 of 14 September 2022 amending Decision 2014/145/CFSP concerning restrictive measures in respect of actions undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine and Council Implementing Regulation (EU) 2022/1529 of 14 September 2022 implementing Regulation (EU) No 269/2014 concerning restrictive measures in respect of actions undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine, in so far as Mr Petr Aven’s name was included and maintained in the list of persons, entities and bodies subject to those restrictive measures;
2.
Orders the Council of the European Union, in addition to bearing its own costs, to pay those incurred by Mr Aven;
3.
Declares that the Republic of Latvia shall bear its own costs.
(
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)	OJ C 257, 4.7.2022.