1. 

Officials – Members of the temporary staff – Rights and obligations – Freedom of expression – Exercise – Limits – Dignity of position – Duty of loyalty – Acts liable to reflect on official’s position – Concept – Act of plagiarism – Included – No breach of the principle of legal certainty

(Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, Arts 11, first para., and 52(1); Staff Regulations of Officials, Arts 11, 12, 17a(1) and 21; Conditions of Employment of Other Servants, Art. 11, first para.)

(see paragraphs 55, 58-75, 85-98, 233-243)

2. 

Actions brought by officials – Jurisdiction of the EU judicature – Limits – Application of national law – Precluded

(Art. 270 TFEU)

(see paragraphs 79, 299)

3. 

Officials – Disciplinary measures – Penalty – Person concerned acting in accordance with national law – Fact not capable of precluding disciplinary action

(Staff Regulations of Officials, Art. 86)

(see paragraph 80)

4. 

Officials – Disciplinary measures – Enquiry preceding the initiation of disciplinary proceedings – Administration’s discretion – Scope – Obligation to inform the person concerned of the provisions allegedly infringed – Scope

(Staff Regulations of Officials, Art. 86 and Annex IX, Arts 2 to 4)

(see paragraphs 103-108, 209, 210)

5. 

Officials – Disciplinary measures – Enquiry preceding the initiation of disciplinary proceedings – Processing of personal data – Lawfulness – Collection of evidence in the course of the investigation – Administration’s discretion – Limits

(Staff Regulations of Officials, Annex IX; European Parliament and Council Regulation 2018/1725, Art. 5(1)(a))

(see paragraphs 118-120, 125, 126, 130-132, 182)

6. 

Actions brought by officials – Prior administrative complaint – Correspondence between the complaint and the application – Same subject matter and legal basis – Submissions and arguments not made in the complaint but closely related to it – Admissibility

(Staff Regulations of Officials, Arts 90 and 91)

(see paragraphs 128, 129)

7. 

EU institutions – Protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data – Regulation No 45/2001 – Processing of personal data – Unlawful collection of certain data in the context of an investigation prior to the initiation of disciplinary proceedings – Impact on the lawfulness of acts adopted on the basis of the data concerned – None

(European Parliament and Council Regulations No 45/2001 and 2018/1725; Staff Regulations of Officials, Annex IX)

(see paragraphs 133-135)

8. 

Officials – Disciplinary measures – Disciplinary proceedings – Observance of the rights of the defence – Infringement – Annulment of the decision imposing a penalty – Conditions

(Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, Art. 41(2); Staff Regulations of Officials, Annex IX, Art. 9(1)(h))

(see paragraphs 139-141)

9. 

Actions brought by officials – Act adversely affecting an official – Concept – Decision to open disciplinary proceedings – Preparatory measures – Precluded – Act capable of being challenged incidentally in the course of an action for annulment of the decision imposing a disciplinary sanction

(Staff Regulations of Officials, Art. 90(2))

(see paragraphs 93, 95)

10. 

Officials – Duty of the administration to have regard for the welfare of officials – Principle of sound administration – Scope – Taking into account of official’s interests – Limits

(Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, Art. 41)

(see paragraph 151)

11. 

Officials – Disciplinary measures – Enquiry preceding the initiation of disciplinary proceedings – Right to sound administration – Requirement of impartiality – Scope – Challenge – Burden of proof

(Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, Art. 41(1); Staff Regulations of Officials, Annex IX, Art. 2)

(see paragraphs 152, 167, 169-171, 186)

12. 

Actions brought by officials – Pleas in law – Misuse of powers – Concept – Burden and administration of proof

(see paragraph 168)

13. 

Officials – Reports procedure – Existence of differences between an official and his or her immediate superior – No impact on the latter’s ability to assess the merits of the official concerned

(Staff Regulations of Officials, Art. 43)

(see paragraph 176)

14. 

Judicial proceedings – Application initiating proceedings – Formal requirements – Identification of the subject matter of the dispute – Brief summary of the pleas in law on which the application is based – Unambiguous wording of the form of order sought by the applicant

(Statute of the Court of Justice, Arts 21, first para., and 53, first para.; Rules of Procedure of the General Court, Art. 76(d))

(see paragraphs 197, 198)

15. 

Officials – Disciplinary measures – Procedure – Compliance with the principle of the presumption of innocence – Infringement – Conditions

(Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, Art. 48(1); Staff Regulations of Officials, Annex IX)

(see paragraphs 200, 201)

16. 

Officials – Disciplinary measures – Penalty – Discretion of the appointing authority – Limits – Observance of the principle of proportionality – Judicial review – Scope

(Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, Art. 47; Staff Regulations of Officials, Art. 86(1), and Annex IX, Art. 10)

(see paragraphs 209-212, 247-251)

17. 

Actions brought by officials – Application for damages linked to an application for annulment – Dismissal of application for annulment leading to dismissal of the application for damages

(Staff Regulations of Officials, Arts 90 and 91)

(see paragraphs 266, 267)

18. 

Officials – Disciplinary measures – Procedure – Time limits – Obligation on the administration to act within a reasonable period – Assessment – Non-compliance – Special circumstances – Burden of proof

(Staff Regulations of Officials, Annex IX, Arts 18 and 22(1))

(see paragraphs 270, 273-275, 280, 281)

19. 

Officials – Non-contractual liability of the institutions – Conditions – Unlawfulness – Damage – Causal link – Cumulative conditions

(Art. 340, second para., TFEU)

(see paragraph 272)

20. 

Actions brought by officials – Actions for damages – Claim for compensation for non-material damage caused by the excessive duration of a disciplinary procedure – Admissibility – Conditions

(Staff Regulations of Officials, Arts 90 and 91)

(see paragraphs 283, 284)

21. 

Judicial proceedings – Measures of organisation of procedure – Request for production of documents – Discretion of the EU judicature – Duties of the person making the request

(Rules of Procedure of the General Court, Art. 89(3)(d))

(see paragraphs 293, 295)

1. 

Dismisses the action;

2. 

Orders DD to pay, in addition to his own costs, those incurred by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA).