Judgment of the General Court (Fourth Chamber) of 27 April 2022 –Correia v EESC
(Case T‑750/20) (1)
(Civil service – EESC staff – Members of the temporary staff – Request for career reconstitution – Rejection of the request – Action for annulment – Proper conduct of the pre-litigation procedure – Time limit for lodging a complaint – Interest in bringing proceedings – Admissibility – Equal treatment – Legal certainty – Entitlement to reasonable career prospects – Absence of a right to career constitution – Obligation to carry out a consideration of the comparative merits – Liability – Non-material damage)
1.      Actions brought by officials – Prior administrative complaint – Time limits – Starting point of the limitation period – Measure neither published nor notified to the applicant – Precise knowledge of the content and reasons – Duty to request the whole text of the decision within a reasonable time once its existence is known – Impossible for the applicant to be aware of its existence – Consequences
(Staff Regulations of Officials, Arts 25, third para. and 90(2); Conditions of Employment of Other Servants, Art. 46)
(see paras 24-32)
2.      Actions brought by officials – Request under Article 90(1) of the Staff Regulations – Period for lodging – Reasonable time – Criteria for assessment
(Staff Regulations of Officials, Art. 90(1))
(see paras 37, 38)
3.      Actions brought by officials – Prior administrative complaint – Distinction from a request under Article 90(1) of the Staff Regulations – Distinction a matter for assessment by the court
(Staff Regulations of Officials, Art. 90(1) and (2))
(see para. 52)
4.      Actions brought by officials – Interest in bringing proceedings – Action needing to be capable of procuring a benefit for the applicant – To be considered of the Court’s own motion – Action against a measure requiring reconsideration by the administration in the event of a finding of unlawfulness – Admissibility
(Art. 266 TFEU; Staff Regulations of Officials, Arts 90 and 91)
(see paras 59, 61, 63-67)
5.      Officials – Members of the temporary staff – Regrading – Administration’s discretion – Limits – Observance of the principles of equality of treatment and legal certainty – Failure to put in place criteria that enable a comparing of merits – Breach of the principle of equal treatment
(Conditions of Employment of Other Servants, Arts 10(3) and 16, first para.)
(see paras 76-82)
6.      Officials – Members of the temporary staff – Regrading – Right to reclassification – None
(Conditions of Employment of Other Servants, Art. 54)
(see paras 85-90)
7.      Officials – Non-contractual liability of the institutions – Conditions – Damage – Non-material damage connected with the state of uncertainty and worry caused by the unlawful conduct of the administration – Duty for the applicant to act with reasonable diligence to avoid the damage or to limit its extent
(Art. 340 TFEU)
(see para. 95)
Operative part
The Court:
1.
Annuls the decision of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) of 8 April 2020 rejecting Ms Paula Correia’s request for career constitution;
2.
Dismisses the action as to the remainder;
3.
Orders the EESC to pay the costs.
1 OJ C 53, 15.2.2021.