CELEX:62022TJ0333: Hotărârea Tribunalului (Camera întâi) din 29 noiembrie 2023.#German Khan împotriva Consiliului Uniunii Europene.#Cauza T-333/22.

Judgment of the General Court (First Chamber) of 29 November 2023 –
Khan v Council

(Case T‑333/22) (1)

(Common foreign and security policy – Restrictive measures 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 lists – Concept of ‘leading businessperson’ – Article 2(1)(g) of Decision 2014/145/CFSP – Article 3(1)(g) of Regulation (EU) No 269/2014 – Plea of illegality – Obligation to state reasons – Error of assessment)

1.      European Union – Judicial review of the legality of the acts of the institutions – Restrictive measures against certain persons and entities in view of the situation in Ukraine – Freezing of funds of persons responsible for, supporting or implementing actions or policies which undermine or threaten the territorial integrity, sovereignty or independence of Ukraine, and of natural or legal persons, entities or bodies associated with them – Scope of the review

(Art. 275, second para., TFEU; Council Decision 2014/145/CFSP, as amended by Decisions (CFSP) 2022/429 and (CFSP) 2022/1530; Council Regulations No 269/2014, 2022/427 and 2022/1529)

(see paragraph 25)

2.      European Union – Judicial review of the legality of the acts of the institutions – Restrictive measures taken in view of the situation in Ukraine – Scope of the review – Restricted review for general rules – Criteria for adopting restrictive measures

(Council Regulation No 269/2014, Arts 2 and 3(1))

(see paragraph 26)

3.      Common foreign and security policy – Restrictive measures taken in view of the situation in Ukraine – Legal basis – Restrictive measures laid down by a decision adopted on the basis of Article 215 TFEU – Freezing of funds of leading businesspersons involved in economic sectors providing a substantial source of revenue to the Government of the Russian Federation and persons associated with them – Requirement to establish a link between the undertakings affected by the restrictive measures and the Russian State – None

(Art. 29 TEU; Art. 215 TFEU; Council Decision 2014/145/CFSP, as amended by Decisions (CFSP) 2022/429 and (CFSP) 2022/1530; Council Regulations No 269/2014, 2022/427 and 2022/1529)

(see paragraphs 31, 32, 36-39)

4.      Common foreign and security policy – Restrictive measures taken in view of the situation in Ukraine – Freezing of funds of certain persons and entities having regard to the situation in Ukraine – Judicial review of legality – Principle of proportionality – Appropriateness of the restrictive measures – Restrictive measures pursuing a legitimate aim of the common foreign and security policy

(Council Decision 2014/145/CFSP, as amended by Decisions (CFSP) 2022/429 and (CFSP) 2022/1530; Council Regulations No 269/2014, 2022/427 and 2022/1529)

(see paragraphs 51-55, 61, 89)

5.      Acts of the institutions – Preamble – Binding legal force – None – Relying on the preamble as a ground for derogating from the provisions of the act or for interpreting them in a manner clearly contrary to their wording – Not permissible

(see paragraph 60)

6.      European Union – Judicial review of the legality of the acts of the institutions – Restrictive measures taken in view of the situation in Ukraine – Scope of the review – Inclusion of the applicant on the list annexed to the contested decision due to the applicant’s status as a leading businessperson involved in economic sectors providing a substantial source of revenue to the Government of the Russian Federation – Publicly available documents – Probative value

(Council Decision 2014/145/CFSP, as amended by Decisions (CFSP) 2022/429 and (CFSP) 2022/1530; Council Regulations No 269/2014, 2022/427 and 2022/1529)

(see paragraphs 71-77)

7.      European Union – Judicial review of the legality of the acts of the institutions – Restrictive measures taken in view of the situation in Ukraine – Scope of the review – Proof that the measure is well founded – Obligation on the competent EU authority to establish, in the event of challenge, that the reasons relied on against the persons or entities concerned are well founded – Error of assessment – None

(Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, Art. 47; Council Decision 2014/145/CFSP, as amended by Decisions (CFSP) 2022/429 and (CFSP) 2022/1530; Council Regulations No 269/2014, 2022/427 and 2022/1529)

(see paragraphs 78-80, 95-99, 106, 113)

8.      Common foreign and security policy – Restrictive measures taken in view of the situation in Ukraine – Criteria for adopting restrictive measures – Leading businesspersons involved in economic sectors providing a substantial source of revenue to the Government of the Russian Federation and persons associated with them – Concept – Need to establish direct links or a relation of interdependence between the person subject to the measures and the Russian Government or its actions undermining the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine – None

(Council Decision 2014/145/CFSP, as amended by Decisions (CFSP) 2022/429 and (CFSP) 2022/1530, Art. 2(1)(g); Council Regulations No 269/2014, Art. 3(1)(g), 2022/427 and 2022/1529)

(see paragraphs 88-90)

9.      Common foreign and security policy – Restrictive measures taken in view of the situation in Ukraine – Scope – Leading businesspersons involved in economic sectors providing a substantial source of revenue to the Government of the Russian Federation and persons associated with them – Concept – Persons who have committed those acts in the past, notwithstanding the lack of evidence establishing current involvement or participation in such acts – Included

(Council Decision 2014/145/CFSP, as amended by Decisions (CFSP) 2022/429 and (CFSP) 2022/1530, Art. 2(1)(g); Council Regulations No 269/2014, Art. 3(1)(g), 2022/427 and 2022/1529)

(see paragraph 102)

10.    Common foreign and security policy – Restrictive measures taken in view of the situation in Ukraine – Criteria for adopting restrictive measures – Leading businesspersons involved in economic sectors providing a substantial source of revenue to the Government of the Russian Federation and persons associated with them – Concept of economic sector providing a substantial source of revenue – Economic sector that represents an insignificant tax contribution in relation to the total tax revenue of the Russian Federation’s budget – Irrelevant

(Council Decision 2014/145/CFSP, as amended by Decisions (CFSP) 2022/429 and (CFSP) 2022/1530, Art. 2(1)(g); Council Regulations No 269/2014, Art. 3(1)(g), 2022/427 and 2022/1529)

(see paragraph 108)

11.    Common foreign and security policy – Restrictive measures taken in view of the situation in Ukraine – Criteria for adopting restrictive measures – Leading businesspersons involved in economic sectors providing a substantial source of revenue to the Government of the Russian Federation and persons associated with them – Concept of substantial source of revenue – Indirect taxes such as VAT – Included

(Council Decision 2014/145/CFSP, as amended by Decisions (CFSP) 2022/429 and (CFSP) 2022/1530, Art. 2(1)(g); Council Regulations No 269/2014, Art. 3(1)(g), 2022/427 and 2022/1529)

(see paragraph 110)

12.    European Union – Judicial review of the legality of the acts of the institutions – Restrictive measures taken in view of the situation in Ukraine – Scope of the review – Proof that the measure is well founded – Obligation on the competent EU authority to establish, in the event of challenge, that the reasons relied on against the persons or entities concerned are well founded – Breadth of the discretion of that competent authority – Relevance of evidence produced on the basis of a previous inclusion where there are no amendments to the grounds for inclusion or changes in the applicant’s situation or in the context in Ukraine – Changes in the applicant’s situation – None

(Council Decision 2014/145/CFSP, as amended by Decisions (CFSP) 2022/429 and (CFSP) 2022/1530; Council Regulations No 269/2014, 2022/427 and 2022/1529)

(see paragraphs 116, 117, 119, 121-125, 133)

13.    Acts of the institutions – Statement of reasons – Obligation – Scope – Restrictive measures taken in view of the situation in Ukraine – Leading businesspersons involved in economic sectors providing a substantial source of revenue to the Government of the Russian Federation and persons associated with them – Obligation to identify in the statement of reasons the specific and concrete elements justifying the said measure – Decision falling within a context known to the person concerned, enabling him or her to understand the scope of the measure taken against him or her – Whether summary statement of reasons sufficient

(Art. 296, second para., TFEU; Council Decision 2014/145/CFSP, as amended by Decisions (CFSP) 2022/429 and (CFSP) 2022/1530; Council Regulations No 269/2014, 2022/427 and 2022/1529)

(see paragraphs 138-141, 146)

Operative part

The Court:

1 OJ C 276, 18.7.2022.