56Moreover, it follows from the Court’s case-law, first, that failure to comply with the procedural rules relating to the adoption of an act adversely affecting an individual, such as a failure by the Commission to take the contested decision within the time-limit defined by the EU legislature, constitutes an infringement of essential procedural requirements (see judgments in United Kingdom v Council, 68/86, EU:C:1988:85, paragraphs 48 and 49; Spain v Commission, C‑192/13 P, EU:C:2014:2156, paragraph 103; and Spain v Commission, C‑197/13 P, EU:C:2014:2157, paragraph 103), and, secondly, that if the Court of the European Union finds, on examining the act at issue, that it was not regularly adopted, it must draw the necessary conclusions from the infringement of an essential procedural requirement and, consequently, annul the act vitiated by that defect (see judgments in Commission v ICI, C‑286/95 P, EU:C:2000:188, paragraph 51; Commission v Solvay, C‑287/95 P and C‑288/95 P, EU:C:2000:189, paragraph 55; Spain v Commission, C‑192/13 P, EU:C:2014:2156, paragraph 103; and Spain v Commission, C‑197/13 P, EU:C:2014:2157, paragraph 103).
Source: EUR-Lex, © European Union, 1998-2026. Reuse authorised under Decision 2011/833/EU.