Case C-620/23, NOV ZHIVOT 1919: Judgment of the Court (Eighth Chamber) of 6 March 2025 (request for a preliminary ruling from the Administrativen sad Sofia-oblast – Bulgaria) – NOV ZHIVOT 1919 NCh v Rakovoditel na Upravlyavashtia organ na programata za transgranichno satrudnichestvo INTERREG-IPP (Reference for a preliminary ruling – Own resources of the European Union – Protection of the European Union’s financial interests – Regulation (EU) No 1299/2013 – Specific provisions for the support from the European Regional Development Fund to the European territorial cooperation goal – Article 27 – Recovery from the lead beneficiary of amounts paid as a result of an irregularity – Implementing regulation (EU) No 447/2014 – Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA II) – Specific implementing rules – Articles 40 and 46 – Financial correction in the event of irregularity – Financial correction decision addressed to a beneficiary other than the lead beneficiary – Right of the lead beneficiary to participate in administrative and judicial proceedings relating to that decision – Articles 41 and 47 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union)
Date: 2025-03-06
Institutions: Court of Justice
Subjects: EU aid, European Regional Development Fund, European territorial cooperation, administrative procedure, cross-border cooperation, establishment, judicial proceedings, own resources, pre-accession aid, reimbursement of aid








C_202502345EN.000101.fmx.xml












Official Journal of the European Union


EN
C series













C/2025/2345


28.4.2025






Judgment of the Court (Eighth Chamber) of 6 March 2025 (request for a preliminary ruling from the Administrativen sad Sofia-oblast – Bulgaria) – ‘NOV ZHIVOT 1919’ NCh v Rakovoditel na Upravlyavashtia organ na programata za transgranichno satrudnichestvo INTERREG-IPP


(Case C-620/23,
                (1)
NOV ZHIVOT 1919)

(Reference for a preliminary ruling - Own resources of the European Union - Protection of the European Union’s financial interests - Regulation (EU) No 1299/2013 - Specific provisions for the support from the European Regional Development Fund to the European territorial cooperation goal - Article 27 - Recovery from the lead beneficiary of amounts paid as a result of an irregularity - Implementing regulation (EU) No 447/2014 - Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA II) - Specific implementing rules - Articles 40 and 46 - Financial correction in the event of irregularity - Financial correction decision addressed to a beneficiary other than the lead beneficiary - Right of the lead beneficiary to participate in administrative and judicial proceedings relating to that decision - Articles 41 and 47 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union)
(C/2025/2345)
Language of the case: Bulgarian

Referring court

Administrativen sad Sofia-oblast

Parties to the main proceedings


Applicant:
            ‘NOV ZHIVOT 1919’ NCh

Defendant: Rakovoditel na Upravlyavashtia organ na programata za transgranichno satrudnichestvo INTERREG-IPP

Operative part of the judgment

Article 40 and Article 46(6) of Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 447/2014 of 2 May 2014 on the specific rules for implementing Regulation (EU) No 231/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing an Instrument for Pre-accession assistance (IPA II), read in conjunction with Article 27(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1299/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013 on specific provisions for the support from the European Regional Development Fund to the European territorial cooperation goal,
must be interpreted as meaning that: they preclude a managing authority established in a Member State and participating in a cross-border cooperation programme under the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA II) from addressing a financial correction decision only to an economic operator which has committed an irregularity, within the meaning of Article 2(36) of Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013 laying down common provisions on the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund, the Cohesion Fund, the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund and laying down general provisions on the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund, the Cohesion Fund and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 1083/2006, when a lead beneficiary, responsible for the implementation of the entire project at issue, including the repayment of any amount unduly paid, has been designated under that programme, but is not established in that Member State.


(1)  OJ C C/2024/452.


ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/C/2025/2345/oj
ISSN 1977-091X (electronic edition)