62024CJ0313_SUM
Case C‑313/24
Opera Laboratori Fiorentini SpA
v
Ministero della Cultura and Others
(Request for a preliminary ruling from the Consiglio di Stato)
Judgment of the Court (Fifth Chamber) of 12 February 2026
(Reference for a preliminary ruling – Common Foreign and Security Policy – Restrictive measures taken in view of Russia’s actions destabilising the situation in Ukraine – Regulation (EU) No 833/2014 – Article 5k(1)(c) – Prohibition on awarding and continuing the performance of any public contract or concession to or with a natural or legal person, entity or body acting ‘on behalf or at the direction’ of an ‘entity referred to in point (a) or (b) of this paragraph’ – Award of a public contract by the authorities of a Member State to a resident company two of whose three members of its administrative board are Russian nationals and one of those Russian nationals, who is the chair and the chief executive officer of that administrative board, is also sole administrator of the parent company of the company concerned)
EU law – Interpretation – Provision containing no express reference to the law of Member States – Autonomous and uniform interpretation
(Council Regulations No 833/2014 and 2022/576, Art. 5k(1)(c))
(see paragraphs 24-26)
EU law – Interpretation – Texts in several languages – Uniform interpretation – Differences between the various language versions – Account to be taken of the overall scheme and purpose of the legislation in question
(Council Regulations No 833/2014 and 2022/576, Art. 5k(1)(c))
(see paragraphs 28-31)
Common Foreign and Security Policy – Restrictive measures adopted in view of the situation in Ukraine – Prohibition on awarding or continuing the performance of a public contract to or with certain natural or legal persons, entities or bodies – Scope – Interpretation according to the context and objectives of the legislation at issue – Definition of ‘entity’ – All legal persons subject to that prohibition
(Council Regulations No 833/2014, Art. 5k(1)(a), (b) and (c), 2022/576 and 2025/395)
(see paragraphs 33-41, operative part)
Common Foreign and Security Policy – Restrictive measures adopted in view of the situation in Ukraine – Prohibition on awarding or continuing the performance of a public contract to or with certain natural or legal persons, entities or bodies – Scope – Concept of persons acting on behalf or at the direction of the persons and entities concerned – Director of Russian nationality acting as agent of the successful company under the awarded public contract – Not included – Exception – Concrete, precise and consistent evidence of an effective power of control over the successful company
(Council Regulations No 833/2014, Art. 5k(1)(a), (b) and (c), 2022/576 and 2025/395)
(see paragraphs 42-58, operative part)
See the text of the decision.