Judgment of the General Court (Second Chamber) of 13 December 2011 – Evropaïki Dynamiki v Commission
(Case T-377/07)
Public service contracts – Tendering procedure – Supply of IT services relating to content interoperability technologies for European eGovernment services – Rejection of a tender – Manifest error of assessment – Duty to state reasons – Misuse of powers – Non-contractual liability
1. European Union public procurement – Conclusion of a contract following a call for tenders – Discretion of the institutions – Judicial review – Limits (see paras 22, 90)
2. Acts of the institutions – Statement of reasons – Obligation – Scope – Decision, in a procedure for awarding a public service contract, not to accept a tender (Art. 253 EC; Council Regulation No 1605/2002, Art. 100(2); Commission Regulation No 2342/2002, Art. 149) (see paras 94-96, 105)
3. Actions for annulment – Pleas in law – Misuse of powers – Concept (Art. 230 EC) (see para. 109)
4. Non-contractual liability – Conditions – Unlawfulness – Damage – Causal link – Burden of proof – One of the conditions not satisfied – Claim for compensation dismissed in its entirety (Art. 288, second para., EC) (see paras 121-122)
Re:
APPLICATION for (i) annulment of the Commission’s decision of 13 July 2007 not to accept the tender submitted by Evropaïki Dynamiki in the context of the call for tenders relating to ‘Content interoperability for European eGovernment Services’ (OJ 2006 S 128) and also of the decision to award the contract to another tenderer and (ii) damages.
Operative part
The Court:
1.
Dismisses the action;
2.
Orders Evropaïki Dynamiki – Proigmena Systimata Tilepikoinonion Pliroforikis kai Tilematikis AE to bear its own costs and pay the costs incurred by the European Commission.
Full & Egal Universal Law Academy