Judgment_paragraph 48 · Thomas O'Dwyer, Thomas Keane, Thomas Cronin and James Reidy v Council of the European Union (T-466/93, T-469/93, T-473/93, T-474/93, T-477/93)

48It must first be borne in mind that any economic operator to whom an institution has given justified hopes may rely on the principle of the protection of legitimate expectations. However, operators may not have a legitimate expectation that a situation which may be modified at the discretion of the Community institutions will be maintained. That applies particularly in an area such as the common organization of the agricultural markets whose purpose involves constant adjustments to meet changes in the economic situation (see Delacre and Others, paragraph 33; Case C-280/93 Germany ν Council [1994] ECR I-4973, paragraph 80; Case T-489/93 Unifruit Hellas ν Commission [1994] ECR II-1201, paragraph 67; and Case T-472/93 Campo Ebro Industrial v Council [1995] ECR II-0000, paragraph 61). In such a context, the scope of the principle of the protection of legitimate expectations cannot be extended to the point of generally preventing new rules from applying to the future effects of situations which arose under the earlier rules (Spain v Council, paragraph 19; Campo Ebro Industrial, paragraph 52).

Thomas O'Dwyer, Thomas Keane, Thomas Cronin and James Reidy v Council of the European Union (T-466/93, T-469/93, T-473/93, T-474/93, T-477/93)

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