Case C-443/21: Judgment of the Court (Tenth Chamber) of 17 November 2022 (request for a preliminary ruling from the Curtea de Apel Piteşti — Romania) — SC Avicarvil Farms SRL v Ministerul Agriculturii şi Dezvoltării Rurale, Agenţia pentru Finanţarea Investiţiilor Rurale, Agenţia de Plăţi şi Intervenţie în Agricultură, Agenţia de Plăţi şi Intervenţie în Agricultură — Centrul Judeţean Vâlcea (Reference for a preliminary ruling — Common agricultural policy (CAP) — European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) — Regulation (EC) No 1698/2005 — Article 40 — National rural development programme 2007-2013 — Animal welfare payments — Calculation errors — Reductions in payments by the national authorities — Principle of the protection of legitimate expectations — Principle of legal certainty)
Date: 2022-11-17
Institutions: Court of Justice
Subjects: EAFRD, European Court of Auditors, aid to agriculture, animal welfare, common agricultural policy, financial aid, principle of legal certainty, rural development








C_2023015EN.01001701.xml










16.1.2023   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


C 15/17






Judgment of the Court (Tenth Chamber) of 17 November 2022 (request for a preliminary ruling from the Curtea de Apel Piteşti — Romania) — SC Avicarvil Farms SRL v Ministerul Agriculturii şi Dezvoltării Rurale, Agenţia pentru Finanţarea Investiţiilor Rurale, Agenţia de Plăţi şi Intervenţie în Agricultură, Agenţia de Plăţi şi Intervenţie în Agricultură — Centrul Judeţean Vâlcea
(Case C-443/21) (1)

(Reference for a preliminary ruling - Common agricultural policy (CAP) - European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) - Regulation (EC) No 1698/2005 - Article 40 - National rural development programme 2007-2013 - Animal welfare payments - Calculation errors - Reductions in payments by the national authorities - Principle of the protection of legitimate expectations - Principle of legal certainty)
(2023/C 15/17)
Language of the case: Romanian

Referring court

Curtea de Apel Piteşti

Parties to the main proceedings


Applicant: SC Avicarvil Farms SRL

Defendants: Ministerul Agriculturii şi Dezvoltării Rurale, Agenţia pentru Finanţarea Investiţiilor Rurale, Agenţia de Plăţi şi Intervenţie în Agricultură, Agenţia de Plăţi şi Intervenţie în Agricultură — Centrul Judeţean Vâlcea

Operative part of the judgment

Article 40(3) of Council Regulation (EC) No 1698/2005 of 20 September 2005 on support for rural development by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD), as amended by Council Regulation (EC) No 74/2009 of 19 January 2009, and Article 58(1) of Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013 on the financing, management and monitoring of the common agricultural policy and repealing Council Regulations (EEC) No 352/78, (EC) No 165/94, (EC) No 2799/98, (EC) No 814/2000, (EC) No 1290/2005 and (EC) No 485/2008, read in conjunction with Article 310(5) TFEU, and the principles of the protection of legitimate expectations and legal certainty
must be interpreted as
not precluding the national authorities involved in the implementation of a non-repayable financial support measure from adopting, on account of a calculation error found by the European Court of Auditors, acts ordering a reduction in the amount of financial aid granted under the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) Rural Development Programme for Romania for the 2007 to 2013 programming period, as approved by the European Commission, without waiting for the Commission to adopt a decision excluding the amounts resulting from that calculation error from EU financing.


(1)  OJ C 452, 8.11.2021.