Case T-307/22: Judgment of the General Court of 26 March 2025 – A2B Connect and Others v Council (Common foreign and security policy – Restrictive measures adopted in view of Russia’s actions destabilising the situation in Ukraine – Temporary prohibition of broadcasting and suspension of authorisations for the broadcasting of content by certain media outlets – Temporary prohibition of advertising for products or services in content produced or broadcast by certain media outlets – Competence of the Council – Freedom of expression and of information – Proportionality – Obligation to state reasons)
Date: 2025-03-26
Institutions: General Court
Subjects: EU restrictive measure, Russia, Russo-Ukrainian issue, Ukraine, advertising, broadcasting, economic sanctions, freedom of expression, international sanctions, principle of proportionality








C_202502523EN.000101.fmx.xml












Official Journal of the European Union


EN
C series













C/2025/2523


12.5.2025






Judgment of the General Court of 26 March 2025 – A2B Connect and Others v Council


(Case T-307/22)
                (1)

(Common foreign and security policy - Restrictive measures adopted in view of Russia’s actions destabilising the situation in Ukraine - Temporary prohibition of broadcasting and suspension of authorisations for the broadcasting of content by certain media outlets - Temporary prohibition of advertising for products or services in content produced or broadcast by certain media outlets - Competence of the Council - Freedom of expression and of information - Proportionality - Obligation to state reasons)
(C/2025/2523)
Language of the case: English

Parties


Applicants: A2B Connect BV (Purmerend, Netherlands), BIT BV (Ede, Netherlands), Freedom Internet BV (Amsterdam, Netherlands) (represented by: L. Oranje, J. Spauwen and J. van den Brink, lawyers)

Defendant: Council of the European Union (represented by: S. Lejeune, acting as Agent)

Interveners in support of the defendant: Republic of Estonia (represented by: M. Kriisa, acting as Agent), Republic of Latvia (represented by: J. Davidoviča, K. Pommere and I. Romanovska, acting as Agents), Republic of Lithuania (represented by: K. Dieninis and V. Kazlauskaitė-Švenčionienė, acting as Agents), European Commission (represented by: J.-F. Brakeland, C. Giolito, L. Malferrari and M. Carpus Carcea, acting as Agents), High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (represented by: F. Hoffmeister, L. Havas and M. De Almeida Veiga, acting as Agents

Re:

By their action under Article 263 TFEU, the applicants seek (i) annulment of Council Decision (CFSP) 2022/351 of 1 March 2022 amending Decision 2014/512/CFSP concerning restrictive measures in view of Russia’s actions destabilising the situation in Ukraine (OJ 2022 L 65, p. 5) and of Council Regulation (EU) 2022/350 of 1 March 2022 amending Regulation (EU) No 833/2014 concerning restrictive measures in view of Russia’s actions destabilising the situation in Ukraine (OJ 2022 L 65, p. 1), and (ii) partial annulment of Council Decision (CFSP) 2022/884 of 3 June 2022 amending Decision 2014/512/CFSP concerning restrictive measures in view of Russia’s actions destabilising the situation in Ukraine (OJ 2022 L 153, p. 128) and of Council Regulation (EU) 2022/879 of 3 June 2022 amending Regulation (EU) No 833/2014 concerning restrictive measures in view of Russia’s actions destabilising the situation in Ukraine (OJ 2022 L 153, p. 53), in so far as those acts concern them.

Operative part of the judgment

The Court:






1.


Dismisses the action;










2.


Orders A2B Connect BV, BIT BV and Freedom Internet BV to bear their own costs and to pay those incurred by the Council of the European Union;










3.


Orders the Republic of Estonia, the Republic of Latvia, the Republic of Lithuania, the European Commission and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy to bear their own costs.






(1)  
            OJ C 276, 18.7.2022.


ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/C/2025/2523/oj
ISSN 1977-091X (electronic edition)