Judgment of the General Court of 8 November 2018 — ‘Pro NGO!’ v Commission

(Case T-454/17) (1)

((Public procurement - Tendering procedure - Investigation by an external auditor - OLAF investigation - Finding of irregularities - Commission decision imposing an administrative penalty on the applicant - Exclusion from procurement and grant award procedures financed by the general budget of the European Union for a period of six months - Registration in the Early Detection and Exclusion System database - New plea in law - Right of defence))

(2019/C 16/51)

Language of the case: German

Parties

Applicant:‘Pro NGO!’ (Non-Governmental-Organisations/Nicht-Regierungs-Organisationen) e.V. (Cologne, Germany) (represented by: M. Scheid, lawyer)

Defendant: European Commission (represented by: F. Dintilhac and B.-R. Killmann, acting as Agents)

Re:

Application pursuant to Article 263 TFEU, seeking annulment of the Commission decision of 16 May 2017 imposing the administrative penalty of exclusion of the applicant for a period of six months from procurement and grant award procedures financed by the general budget of the European Union and laid down in Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 966/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 October 2012 on the financial rules applicable to the general budget of the Union and repealing Council Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1605/2002 (OJ 2012 L 298, p. 1) and the exclusion of the applicant for the same period from the grant of funds laid down in Council Regulation (EU) 2015/323 of 2 March 2015 on the financial regulation applicable to the 11th European Development Fund (OJ 2015 L 58, p. 17).

Operative part of the judgment

The General Court:

1.	Dismisses the action;

2.	Orders ‘Pro NGO!’ (Non-Governmental-Organisations/Nicht-Regierungs-Organisationen) e.V. to pay the costs.

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(1)  OJ C 330, 2.10.2017.