3.11.2014

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 388/25

(Case T-676/14)

2014/C 388/31

Language of the case: Spanish

Parties

Applicant: Kingdom of Spain (represented by: A. Rubio González, Abogado del Estado)

Defendant: European Commission

Form of order sought

The applicant claims that the General Court should:

—annul Decision C(2014) 4856 final of 11 July 2014 on the launching of an investigation related to the manipulation of statistics in Spain as referred to in Regulation (EU) No 1173/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the effective enforcement of budgetary surveillance in the euro area; and

—order the Commission to pay the costs.

Pleas in law and main arguments

In support of the action, the applicant relies on three pleas in law.

1.First plea in law: failure to observe the principles of legal certainty and the non-retroactivity of legislation

According to the applicant, the principles of legal certainty and non-retroactivity, as applied to Regulation (EU) No 1173/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 November 2011 on the effective enforcement of budgetary surveillance in the euro area (OJ 2011 L 306, p. 1) and Decision 2012/678/EU, mean that facts arising before 13 December 2011 cannot be the subject of an investigation because, at that date, the facts at issue could not be penalised. The only data in respect of which a penalty could be applied are those notified in April 2012. In fact, the period covered by the investigation must relate only to data to be found in notifications made after 2012.

The period covered by the investigation must relate only to data in the notifications made after 2012 where those data relate to facts that occurred after December 2011, the date on which the Regulation No 1173/2011 entered into force. Consequently there is no legal basis for an investigation in relation to facts that occurred before 13 December 2011.

2.Second plea in law: infringement of Article 8(3) of Regulation (EU) No 1173/2011

According to the applicant, there is no serious evidence of facts amounting to the manipulation of data relating to the Spanish deficit and public debt. In reviewing those data, the Spanish authorities gave clear and adequate explanations.

3.Third plea in law: infringement of the Kingdom of Spain’s rights of defence

According to the applicant, the investigation that has been launched is a covert investigation, conducted outside established procedures, in breach of the rights of defence of the Kingdom of Spain.