Case T-797/22: Judgment of the General Court of 2 October 2024 – Ordre néerlandais des avocats du barreau de Bruxelles and Others 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 – Fundamental role of lawyers in a democratic society – Right of lawyers to provide legal advisory services – Right to be advised by a lawyer – Articles 7 and 47 and Article 52(2) of the Charter of Fundamental Rights – Independence of lawyers – Rule of law – Proportionality – Legal certainty)
Date: 2024-10-02
Institutions: General Court
Subjects: EU restrictive measure, Russia, Russo-Ukrainian issue, economic sanctions, international sanctions, lawyer, legal aid, principle of legal certainty, principle of proportionality, right to justice, rule of law








C_202406934EN.000101.fmx.xml












Official Journal of the European Union


EN
C series













C/2024/6934


25.11.2024






Judgment of the General Court of 2 October 2024 – Ordre néerlandais des avocats du barreau de Bruxelles and Others v Council


(Case T-797/22)
                (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 - Fundamental role of lawyers in a democratic society - Right of lawyers to provide legal advisory services - Right to be advised by a lawyer - Articles 7 and 47 and Article 52(2) of the Charter of Fundamental Rights - Independence of lawyers - Rule of law - Proportionality - Legal certainty)
(C/2024/6934)
Language of the case: French

Parties


Applicants: Ordre néerlandais des avocats du barreau de Bruxelles (Brussels, Belgium) and the ten other applicants whose names appear in the annex to the judgment (represented by: P. de Bandt, T. Ghysels, T. Bontinck and A. Guillerme, lawyers)

Defendant: Council of the European Union (represented by: V. Piessevaux and S. Lejeune, acting as Agents)

Interveners in support of the applicants: Bundesrechtsanwaltskammer (Berlin, Germany) (represented by: J. P. Buyle, D. Van Gerven and N. Azizollahoff, lawyers), Ordre des avocats de Genève (Geneva, Switzerland) (represented by F. Zimeray, lawyer)

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), High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (represented by: F. Hoffmeister, L. Havas and M. Almeida Veiga, acting as Agents)

Re:

By their action under Article 263 TFEU, the applicants seek annulment of (i) 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 259 I, p. 3), to the extent that it replaces and amends Article 5n(2) and (4) to (12) 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 concerns legal advisory services; (ii) Article 1(13) of Council Regulation (EU) 2022/2474 of 16 December 2022 amending Regulation No 833/2014 (OJ 2022 L 322 I, p. 1), to the extent that it replaces and amends Article 5n(2) and (4) to (11) of Regulation No 833/2014 in so far as concerns legal advisory services; and (iii) Article 1(13) of Council Regulation (EU) 2023/427 of 25 February 2023 amending Regulation No 833/2014 (OJ 2023 L 59 I, p. 6), to the extent that it inserts Article 12b(2a) into Regulation No 833/2014 in so far as concerns legal advisory services.

Operative part of the judgment

The Court:






1.


Dismisses the action;










2.


Orders the Ordre néerlandais des avocats du barreau de Bruxelles and the other applicants whose names appear in the annex to bear their own costs and to pay those of the Council of the European Union;










3.


Orders the Bundesrechtsanwaltskammer, the Ordre des avocats de Genève, the Republic of Estonia, the European Commission and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy to bear their own costs.






(1)  
            OJ C 63, 20.2.2023.


ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/C/2024/6934/oj
ISSN 1977-091X (electronic edition)