Case T-828/22: Judgment of the General Court of 2 October 2024 – ACE v Council (Common foreign and security policy – Restrictive measures adopted in view of Russia’s actions destabilising the situation in Ukraine – Prohibition on the provision of legal advisory services to the Russian Government and entities established in Russia – Obligation to state reasons – Fundamental role of lawyers in a democratic society – Right of lawyers to provide legal advisory services – Right to be advised by a lawyer – Articles 47 and 52(2) of the Charter of Fundamental Rights)
Date: 2024-10-02
Institutions: General Court
Subjects: EU restrictive measure, Russia, Russo-Ukrainian issue, Ukraine, economic sanctions, international sanctions, lawyer, legal aid, provision of services, right to justice








C_202406936EN.000101.fmx.xml












Official Journal of the European Union


EN
C series













C/2024/6936


25.11.2024






Judgment of the General Court of 2 October 2024 – ACE v Council


(Case T-828/22)
                (1)

(Common foreign and security policy - Restrictive measures adopted in view of Russia’s actions destabilising the situation in Ukraine - Prohibition on the provision of legal advisory services to the Russian Government and entities established in Russia - Obligation to state reasons - Fundamental role of lawyers in a democratic society - Right of lawyers to provide legal advisory services - Right to be advised by a lawyer - Articles 47 and 52(2) of the Charter of Fundamental Rights)
(C/2024/6936)
Language of the case: French

Parties


Applicant: ACE-Avocats, ensemble (Paris, France) (represented by: J.-P. Hordies, lawyer)

Defendant: Council of the European Union (represented by: D. Laurent and M.-C. Cadilhac, acting as Agents)

Intervener in support of the applicant: Lupicinio Rodríguez Jiménez (Madrid, Spain) (represented by: J. Iriarte Ángel, E. Delage González, M. Casado Abarquero and F. Rodríguez González, lawyers)

Interveners in support of the defendant: Republic of Estonia (represented by: M. Kriisa, acting as Agent), European Commission (represented by: J.-F. Brakeland, C. Giolito, M. Carpus Carcea and C. Georgieva, acting as Agents)

Re:

By its action under Article 263 TFEU, the applicant seeks the annulment of Article 1(12) of Council Regulation (EU) 2022/1904 of 6 October 2022 amending Regulation (EU) No 833/2014 concerning restrictive measures in view of Russia’s actions destabilising the situation in Ukraine (OJ 2022 L 255 I, p. 3), to the extent that it amends Article 5n(1), (2) and (5) of Council Regulation (EU) No 833/2014 of 31 July 2014 concerning restrictive measures in view of Russia’s actions destabilising the situation in Ukraine (OJ 2014 L 229, p. 1) in so far as it concerns the applicant.

Operative part of the judgment

The Court:






1.


Dismisses the action;










2.


Orders ACE-Avocats, ensemble to bear its own costs and to pay those incurred by the Council of the European Union;










3.


Orders Mr Lupicinio Rodríguez Jiménez, the Republic of Estonia and the European Commission to bear their own costs.






(1)  
            OJ C 71, 27.2.2023.


ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/C/2024/6936/oj
ISSN 1977-091X (electronic edition)