Judgment of the General Court (First Chamber) of 12 October 2011 – Dimos Peramatos v Commission

(Case T-312/07)

Financial contribution granted for an environmental project – LIFE – Decision to recover in part the amount paid out – Determination of the obligations of the recipient undertaken in the financed project – Legitimate expectations – Duty to state reasons

1.                     European Union law – Principles – Protection of legitimate expectations – Conditions – Specific assurances given by the administration – Financial aid granted for an environmental project – Decision to effect partial recovery of the amount paid, determined after a technical check carried out after the accounting check by the Commission – Knowledge of the person concerned – No infringement of the principle (Council Regulation No 1973/92) (see paras 50-52, 57, 64-67)

2.                     Economic and social cohesion – European Regional Development Fund – Grant of Community financial assistance – Conditions – Compliance with the terms set out by the Commission and those in the application for assistance – Reduction of the amount of the financial assistance approved in the initial budget where that obligation infringed (Council Regulation No 1973/92) (see para. 73)

3.                     Economic and social cohesion – Structural assistance – Community financing granted for national projects – Obligation on applicants for and beneficiaries of financial assistance to provide information and to cooperate – Scope (Council Regulation No 1973/92) (see para. 75)

4.                     Acts of the institutions – Statement of reasons – Obligation – Scope (see paras 113-118)

5.                     Actions for annulment – Jurisdiction of the EU judicature – Action brought against a Commission decision partially to recover an amount paid for carrying out an environmental project – No unlimited jurisdiction (see para. 121)

Re:

Operative part

The Court: