CELEX: C2007/183/20
Language: en
Date: 2007-08-04 00:00:00
Title: Case C-158/06: Judgment of the Court (First Chamber) of 21 June 2007 (reference for a preliminary ruling from the College van Beroep voor het bedrijfsleven — Netherlands) — Stichting ROM-projecten v Staatssecretaris van Economische Zaken (Structural funds — Repayment of Community aid in the case of irregularity — Failure to publish or make known the conditions of grant of the aid — Beneficiary's lack of knowledge — Good faith — Legal certainty — Effectiveness — Article 10 EC)

4.8.2007   
            
            
               EN
            
            
               Official Journal of the European Union
            
            
               C 183/12
            
         Judgment of the Court (First Chamber) of 21 June 2007 (reference for a preliminary ruling from the College van Beroep voor het bedrijfsleven — Netherlands) — Stichting ROM-projecten v Staatssecretaris van Economische Zaken
   (Case C-158/06) (1)
   
   (Structural funds - Repayment of Community aid in the case of irregularity - Failure to publish or make known the conditions of grant of the aid - Beneficiary's lack of knowledge - Good faith - Legal certainty - Effectiveness - Article 10 EC)
   (2007/C 183/20)
   Language of the case: Dutch
   Referring court
   College van Beroep voor het bedrijfsleven
   Parties to the main proceedings
   
      Applicant: Stichting ROM-projecten
   
      Defendant: Staatssecretaris van Economische Zaken
   Re:
   Reference for a preliminary ruling — College van Beroep voor het bedrijfsleven — Interpretation of Article 6 of Commission Decision C (95) 1753 of 16 October 1995 concerning a contribution from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the European Social Fund (ESF) for an operational programme within the framework of the SME Community initiative for the benefit of areas eligible under Objectives 1 and 2 in the Netherlands — Whether unconditional and sufficiently clear and precise to be directly applicable with regard to the final beneficiary — Interpretation of Article 38(1)(h) of Council Regulation (EC) No 1260/1999 of 21 June 1999 laying down general provisions on the Structural Funds (OJ 1999 L 161, p. 1) — Non-recovery, following an irregularity, vis-à-vis a beneficiary who was not informed of the Commission's decision
   Operative part of the judgment
   Where the conditions for the grant of a financial assistance by the Community to a Member State are set out in the grant decision but that Member State has neither published them nor made them known to the ultimate beneficiary of the assistance, it is not contrary to Community law to apply the principle of legal certainty so as to preclude repayment by that beneficiary of the amounts wrongly paid, provided that it is possible to establish the beneficiary's good faith. In such a case, the Member State concerned may be held financially liable for the amounts not recovered in order to give effect to the Community's right to obtain repayment of the amount of the assistance.
   
      (1)  OJ C 60, 11.3.2006.