Judgment of the General Court of 29 May 2024 – Belavia v Council

(Case T-116/22)  (1)

(Common foreign and security policy - Restrictive measures taken because of the situation in Belarus and the involvement of Belarus in the Russian aggression against Ukraine - Freezing of funds - Lists of persons, entities and bodies to whom the freezing of funds and economic resources applies - Registering and maintaining the applicant’s name on the lists - Organisation of activities of the Lukashenko regime facilitating the illegal crossing of the external borders of the European Union or contribution to those activities - Benefit derived from the Lukashenko regime - Error of assessment)

(C/2024/4321)

Language of the case: English

Parties

Applicant: Belavia – Belarusian Airlines AAT (Minsk, Belarus) (represented by: N. Tuominen and M. Krestiyanova, lawyers)

Defendant: Council of the European Union (represented by: A. Boggio-Tomasaz and A. Antoniadis, acting as Agents)

Re:

By its action under Article 263 TFEU, the applicant seeks the annulment, first, of Council Implementing Decision (CFSP) 2021/2125 of 2 December 2021 implementing Decision 2012/642/CFSP concerning restrictive measures in view of the situation in Belarus (OJ 2021 L 430I, p. 16), and of Council Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/2124 of 2 December 2021 implementing Article 8a(1) of Regulation (EC) No 765/2006 concerning restrictive measures in respect of Belarus (OJ 2021 L 430I, p. 1) (‘the initial acts’), and, second, of Council Decision (CFSP) 2023/421 of 24 February 2023 amending Decision 2012/642/CFSP concerning restrictive measures in view of the situation in Belarus and the involvement of Belarus in the Russian aggression against Ukraine (OJ 2023 L 61, p. 41), and Council Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/419 of 24 February 2023 implementing Article 8a of Regulation (EC) No 765/2006 concerning restrictive measures in view of the situation in Belarus and the involvement of Belarus in the Russian aggression against Ukraine (OJ 2023 L 61, p. 20) (‘the maintaining acts’), in so far as those acts concern it.

Operative part of the judgment

The Court:

1.	Dismisses the action;

2.	Orders Belavia – Belarusian Airlines AAT to pay the costs, including those relating to the proceedings for interim measures.

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(1)   OJ C 171, 25.4.2022.