62020TO0413_INF
Order of the General Court (Eighth Chamber, Extended Composition) of 26 May 2025 – Norddeutsche Landesbank – Girozentrale v SRB (2020 ex ante contributions)
(Case T‑413/20)
(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 2020 ex ante contributions – Obligation to state reasons – Principle of non-retroactivity – Equal treatment – Proportionality – Margin of discretion of the SRB – Manifest error of assessment – Plea of illegality – Commission’s margin of discretion – 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 – Determination of the methodology for calculating the ex ante contributions to the Single Resolution Fund (SRF) – Establishment of the criteria for adjusting those contributions – Judicial review – Limits
(Art. 290 TFEU; European Parliament and Council Regulation No 806/2014, recital 41; Commission Regulation 2015/63; European Parliament and Council Directive 2014/59, Art. 103(7))
(see paragraphs 53, 54)
2.
Acts of the institutions – Temporal application – Non-retroactivity – Exceptions – Conditions – Accomplishment of an objective in the general interest and respect for legitimate expectations – Withdrawal of a decision of the Single Resolution Board (SRB) setting ex ante contributions to the Single Resolution Fund (SRF) in order to rectify a failure to state reasons – Adoption of a decision entering into force on the date that the earlier decision takes effect – No amendments to the amount and the calculation of those contributions – Account taken of the purpose of contributions to the SRF – Whether permissible
(European Parliament and Council Regulation No 806/2014, Arts 2, 67(4), 69 and 70)
(see paragraphs 76, 77, 82)
3.
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 concerning the methodology for calculating 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. 296, 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 90-102, 124)
4.
EU law – Principles – Rights of the defence – Right to be heard – Scope – Communication from the Single Resolution Board (SRB) informing the applicant of the withdrawal of a decision and its replacement – Whether permissible – No infringement of the right to be heard
(Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, Art. 41(2)(a))
(see paragraphs 150, 160)
5.
EU law – Principles – Rights of the defence – Right to be heard – Scope – Online form inviting the credit institutions concerned to submit their observations on the calculation of the ex ante contributions payable to the Single Resolution Fund (SRF) – Whether permissible – No infringement of the right to be heard
(Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, Art. 41(2)(a))
(see paragraphs 169, 171, 175)
6.
EU institutions – Exercise of powers – Power conferred on the Commission to adopt delegated acts – Scope – Complex assessments and evaluations – Broad discretion – Determination of the methodology for calculating the ex ante contributions to the Single Resolution Fund (SRF) – Application and weighting of the Institutional Protection Scheme (IPS) risk indicator – Judicial review – Limits
(Commission Regulation 2015/63, Art. 7(4))
(see paragraphs 192, 193, 241)
7.
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) – Calculation of the adjusting multiplier of the contributions according to the risk profile of the credit institutions – No infringement of the freedom to conduct a business
(Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, Art. 16; Commission Regulation 2015/63, Art. 7(4) and recital 1)
(see paragraphs 265-268)
Operative part
1.
The action is dismissed.
2.
Norddeutsche Landesbank – Girozentrale shall bear its own costs and pay those incurred by the Single Resolution Board (SRB).
3.
The European Commission shall bear its own costs.