CELEX: C1997/054/56
Language: en
Date: 1997-02-22 00:00:00
Title: Action brought on 23 December 1996 by Bernard Connolly against the Commission of the European Communities (Case T-214/96)

No C 54/34           EN |               Official Journal of the European Communities                                   22 . 2 . 97
Action brought on 18 December 1996 by Giorgio Lebedef              Action brought on 23 December 1996 by Bernard
   against the Commission of the European Communities               Connolly against the Commission of the European
                                                                                                  Communities
                      ( Case T-213/96 )
                                                                                                 Case T-2 14/96 )
                         ( 97/C 54/55 )
                                                                                                   ( 97/C 54/56 )
                                                                                     (Language of the case: French)
               (Language of the case: French)
                                                                   An action against the Commission of the European
                                                                    Communities was brought before the Court of First
An action against the Commission of the European                   Instance of the European Communities on 23 December
Communities was brought before the Court of First                   1996 by Bernard Connolly, residing at Everberg ( Belgium ),
Instance of the European Communities on 18 December                represented by Jacques Sambon and Pierre-Paul Van
1996 by Giorgio Lebedef, residing in Senningerberg                 Gehuchten, of the Brussels Bar, with an address for service
( Luxembourg ), represented by Gilles Bouneou, of the              in Luxembourg at the Chambers of Louis Schiltz, 2 rue du
Luxembourg Bar, with an address for service in                     Fort Rheinsheim .
Luxembourg at his Chambers, 15 avenue du Bois .
                                                                   The applicant claims that the Court should :
The applicant claims that the Court should :                       — order the Commission to pay the applicant the sum of
                                                                          Bfrs 750 000 as compensation for the damage caused
                                                                          by the facts giving rise to the action,
— order the Commission to pay Giorgio Lebedef                      — order the Commission to pay the costs .
    compensation of Bfrs 100 000 or such other sum as
    the Court may think fit,
                                                                   Pleas in law and main arguments adduced in support:
                                                                   The applicant, who is the same as in Cases T-203/95 ('),
— reserve to the applicant the right to increase his claim         T-34/96 ( 2 ) and T-163/96 (•*), alleges that the Commission
    during the proceeding and as may appear appropriate,           has waged a particularly harsh campaign against him
                                                                   concurrently with disciplinary proceedings, following the
                                                                   publication of his book The rotten heart of Europe: The
— order the Commission to pay the costs.                           dirty war for Europe 's money. He considers that this
                                                                   campaign was based on insults, abuse and defamation;
                                                                   that is to say, on conduct incompatible with any
                                                                   behaviour appropriate to rational , active administration .
Pleas in law and main arguments adduced in support:
                                                                   In support of his claims, the applicant merely states that
                                                                   the facts that do not have the nature of decisions but
The applicant, who is Secretary-General of the union               which caused this action to be introduced constitute a
'Action & Defense — Luxembourg', seeks to appeal                   breach of the second paragraph of Article 24 of the Staff
against the decisions refusing the representatives of that         Regulations for which the defendant institution must incur
union time off work and the necessary means ( invitations,         liability.
essential information, travel and subsistence expenses ) to
enable them to attend meetings of the trade unions or staff        O OJ No C 351 , 30 . 12 . 1995 , p . 16 .
associations and the Commission relating to general staff          ( 2 ) OJ No C 133 , 1 . 5 . 1996 , p. 32 .
matters, in particular in respect of the meetings of               (') OJ No C 370 , 7. 12 . 1996 , p . 18 .
8 January 1996, the contact committee of 17 January
1996 and the concerted political planning of 2 February
1996 , brought forward to 1 February 1996 .
                                                                   Action brought on 24 December 1996 by Lut Fabert­
In support of his claims, the applicant alleges breach of          Goossens against the Commission of the European
Article 24 of the Staff Regulations, of the decision of the                                       Communities
Council of 23 June 1981 establishing a consultation
procedure, failure to comply with general principles of law                                    ( Case T-217/96 )
and general principles of trade union law recognized by                                           ( 97/C 54/57 )
decisions of the Community judicature and Convention
No 151 of the General International Labour Conference .                              (Language of the case: French)
                                                                   An action against the Commission of the European
                                                                   Communities was brought before the Court of First