Judgment of the General Court of 12 June 2024 – VEB.RF v Council

(Case T-288/22)  (1)

(Common foreign and security policy - Restrictive measures taken in respect of actions undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine - Freezing of funds - List of persons, entities and bodies subject to the freezing of funds and economic resources - Inclusion and maintenance of the applicant’s name on the list - Exclusion of SWIFT services - Obligation to state reasons - Article 2(1)(b) and (d) of Decision 2014/512/CFSP - Article 1e of Decision 2014/512/CFSP - Error of assessment - Equal treatment - Proportionality - Right to property - Right to effective judicial protection - Misuse of powers)

(C/2024/4468)

Language of the case: Spanish

Parties

Applicant: State Development Corporation ‘VEB.RF’ (Moscow, Russia) (represented by: J. Iriarte Ángel, L. Rodríguez Jiménez, F. Rodríguez González and L. García López, lawyers)

Defendant: Council of the European Union (represented by: S. Saez Moreno, P. Mahnič and H. Marcos Fraile, acting as Agents)

Intervener in support of the defendant: European Commission (represented by: M. Carpus Carcea and G. Luengo, acting as Agents)

Re:

By its action under Article 263 TFEU, the applicant seeks annulment, in the first place, of (i) Council Decision (CFSP) 2022/265 of 23 February 2022 amending Decision 2014/145/CFSP concerning restrictive measures in respect of actions undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine (OJ 2022 L 42 I, p. 98) and Council Implementing Regulation (EU) 2022/260 of 23 February 2022 implementing Regulation (EU) No 269/2014 concerning restrictive measures in respect of actions undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine (OJ 2022 L 42 I, p. 3); (ii) Council Decision (CFSP) 2022/1530 of 14 September 2022 amending Decision 2014/145/CFSP concerning restrictive measures in respect of actions undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine (OJ 2022 L 239, p. 149) and Council Implementing Regulation (EU) 2022/1529 of 14 September 2022 implementing Regulation (EU) No 269/2014 concerning restrictive measures in respect of actions undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine (OJ 2022 L 239, p. 1); (iii) Council Decision (CFSP) 2023/572 of 13 March 2023 amending Decision 2014/145/CFSP concerning restrictive measures in respect of actions undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine (OJ 2023 L 75 I, p. 134) and Council Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/571 of 13 March 2023 implementing Regulation (EU) No 269/2014 concerning restrictive measures in respect of actions undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine (OJ 2023 L 75 I, p. 1); and (iv) Council Decision 2023/1767 of 13 September 2023 amending Decision 2014/145/CFSP concerning restrictive measures in respect of actions undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine (OJ 2023 L 226, p. 104) and Council Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/1765 of 13 September 2023 implementing Regulation (EU) No 269/2014 concerning restrictive measures in respect of actions undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine (OJ 2023 L 226, p. 3), in so far as those acts concern it.

In the second place, the applicant seeks, in essence, annulment of (i) Article 1e of Council Decision 2014/512/CFSP of 31 July 2014 concerning restrictive measures in view of Russia’s actions destabilising the situation in Ukraine (OJ 2014 L 229, p. 13), as amended by Council Decision (CFSP) 2022/346 of 1 March 2022 (OJ 2022 L 63, p. 5), read in conjunction with Annex VIII to that decision, and Article 5h of Council Regulation (EU) No 833/2014 of 31 July 2014 concerning restrictive measures in view of Russia’s actions destabilising the situation in Ukraine (OJ 2013 L 229, p. 1), as amended by Council Regulation (EU) 2022/345 of 1 March 2022 (OJ 2022 L 63, p. 1), read in conjunction with Annex XIV to that regulation; (ii) Article 1e of Decision 2014/512, as amended by Council Decision (CFSP) 2022/1313 of 26 July 2022 (OJ 2022 L 198, p. 17), read in conjunction with Annex VIII to that decision, and Article 5h of Regulation No 833/2014, as amended by Council Regulation (EU) 2022/1269 of 21 July 2022 (OJ 2022 L 193, p. 1), read in conjunction with Annex XIV to that regulation; (iii) Article 1e of Decision 2014/512, as amended by Council Decision (CFSP) 2023/191 of 27 January 2023 (OJ 2023 L 26, p. 44), read in conjunction with Annex VIII to that decision, and Article 5h of Regulation No 833/2014, as amended by Council Regulation (EU) 2022/2474 of 16 December 2022 (OJ 2022 L 322 I, p. 1), read in conjunction with Annex XIV to that regulation; and (iv) Article 1e of Decision 2014/512, as amended by Council Decision (CFSP) 2023/1517 of 20 July 2023 (OJ 2023 L 184, p. 40), read in conjunction with Annex VIII to that decision, and Article 5h of Regulation No 833/2014, as amended by Council Regulation (EU) 2023/1214 of 23 June 2023 (OJ 2023 L 159 I, p. 1), read in conjunction with Annex XIV to that regulation, in so far as all of those acts concern it.

Operative part of the judgment

The Court:

(1)   OJ C 318, 22.8.2022.