Judgment of the General Court (First Chamber) of 14 December 2017 — Trautmann v EEAS

(Case T‑611/16)

(Civil service — Officials — Remuneration — Family allowances — Education allowance — Article 15 of Annex X to the Staff Regulations — Conditions for grant — Article 3(1) of Annex VII to the Staff Regulations — Regular full-time attendance at an educational establishment which charges fees — Article 85 of the Staff Regulations — Recovery of sums overpaid — Obligation to state reasons — Right to be heard)

1. 

Officials—Principles—Rights of defence—Obligation to hear the person concerned before adopting a measure adversely affecting him—Scope

(Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, Art. 41(2)(a))

(see para. 30)

2. 

Actions brought by officials—Acts adversely affecting an official—Meaning—Measures producing binding legal effects

(Staff Regulations, Arts 90 and 91)

(see para. 32)

3. 

Officials—Decision adversely affecting an official—Obligation to state reasons—Scope

(Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, Art. 41(2); Staff Regulations, Arts 25, second para. and 90(2))

(see paras 35-37)

4. 

Officials—Remuneration—Family allowances—Education allowance—Conditions for granting—Regular full-time attendance

(Staff Regulations, Annex VII, Art. 3)

(see paras 59-61, 63, 67)

5. 

Officials—Remuneration—Family allowances—Education allowance—Conditions for granting—School which charges fees—Meaning—Establishment not receiving either registration fees or school fees—Not included

(Staff Regulations, Annex VII, Art. 3)

(see para. 70)

6. 

Officials—Remuneration—Financial rules applicable to officials posted to a third country—Education allowance—Conditions for granting

(Staff Regulations, Annex X, Art. 15)

(see paras 75-77)

7. 

Officials—Recovery of undue payments—Conditions—Patent overpayment—Criteria

(Staff Regulations, Art. 85, first para.)

(see paras 106-109, 111-113)

Re:

APPLICATION based on Article 270 TFEU seeking, first, the annulment (i) of the decision of the appointing authority of the EEAS of 18 November 2015 to reassess the amount of the education allowance due to the applicant, (ii) of the decision of the Office for the Administration and Payment of Individual Entitlements (PMO) of 12 January 2016 to recover, by means of deductions from pay, the sums unduly paid to the applicant, (iii) of the decision of 12 May 2016 rejecting the complaints against those decisions, and, second, and an order requiring the EEAS to return to the applicant the sums previously paid in accordance with his right to the education allowance.

Operative part

The Court:

1. 

Dismisses the action;

2. 

Orders Mr Ernst Ulrich Trautmann to pay the costs.