Judgment of the General Court of 10 April 2024 – Aven v Council

(Case T-301/22)  (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 list - Concept of ‘supporting or implementing actions or policies’ - Article 2(1)(a) of Decision 2014/145/CFSP - Article 3(1)(a) of Regulation (EU) No 269/2014 - Concepts of ‘supporting, materially or financially, Russian decision-makers’ and of ‘benefitting’ from those decision-makers - Article 2(1)(d) of Decision 2014/145 - Article 3(1)(d) of Regulation No 269/2014 - Error of assessment)

(C/2024/3174)

Language of the case: French

Parties

Applicant: Petr Aven (Virginia Water, United Kingdom) (represented by: T. Marembert and A. Bass, lawyers)

Defendant: Council of the European Union (represented by: S. Van Overmeire, V. Piessevaux and J. Rurarz, acting as Agents)

Intervener in support of the defendant: Republic of Latvia (represented by: J. Davidoviča and K. Pommere, acting as Agents)

Re:

By his action under Article 263 TFEU, the applicant seeks the annulment, first, of Council Decision (CFSP) 2022/337 of 28 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 59, p. 1), and of Council Implementing Regulation (EU) 2022/336 of 28 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 58, p. 1), and, secondly, of 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 of 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), in so far as those acts concern him.

Operative part of the judgment

The Court:

(1)   OJ C 257, 4.7.2022.