Judgment of the General Court (Second Chamber) of 23 September 2015 — Hüpeden v Council and Commission
(Case T‑206/14)
Non-contractual liability — Dumping — Imports of certain prepared or preserved citrus fruits originating in China — Regulation (EC) No 1355/2008 declared invalid by the Court of Justice — Loss allegedly suffered by the applicant as a result of the adoption of the regulation — Action for damages — Exhaustion of remedies under domestic law — Admissibility — Sufficiently serious breach of a rule of law conferring rights on individuals — Article 2(7)(a) of Regulation (EC) No 384/96 (now Article 2(7)(a) of Regulation (EC) No 1225/2009) — Duty of care — Causal link
1.                     Actions for damages — Autonomous form of action — Exhaustion of national rights of action — Exception — Impossible or excessively difficult to obtain compensation before the national courts — Burden of proof — Scope — Limited to providing indicators capable of raising serious doubts as to the effectiveness of the protection ensured by internal remedies (Arts 268 TFEU and 340, second para., TFEU) (see paras 19, 22, 29)
2.                     Non-contractual liability — Conditions — Unlawfulness — Damage — Causal link — Cumulative conditions — One of the conditions not satisfied — Claim for compensation dismissed in its entirety (Art. 340, second para., TFEU) (see paras 32, 58)
3.                     Non-contractual liability — Conditions — Unlawfulness — Sufficiently serious breach of EU law — Requirement that the institutions manifestly and seriously disregard the limits of their discretion — Non-pursuit of investigations during an anti-dumping proceeding — No total disregard of the obligations flowing from the duty of care — Liability of the EU not engaged (Art. 340, second para., TFEU; Council Regulation No 384/96, as amended by Regulation No 1225/2009, Art. 2(7)(a)) (see paras 37, 39, 42-44, 46, 48, 50-53, 55-58)
4.                     Non-contractual liability — Conditions — Causal link — Concept — Burden of proof (Art. 340, second para., TFEU) (see para. 60)
Re:
ACTION for damages seeking compensation for the loss allegedly suffered as a result of the adoption of Council Regulation (EC) No 1355/2008 of 18 December 2008 imposing a definitive anti-dumping duty and collecting definitively the provisional duty imposed on imports of certain prepared or preserved citrus fruits (namely mandarins, etc.) originating in the People’s Republic of China (OJ 2008 L 350, p. 35), declared invalid by the judgment of 22 March 2012 in GLS (C‑338/10, ECR, EU:C:2012:158).
Operative part
The Court:
1.
Dismisses the action;
2.
Orders Hüpeden & Co. (GmbH & Co.) KG to pay the costs.