Judgment_paragraph 76 · Alessandro Accorinti and Others v European Central Bank (T-79/13)

76Furthermore, it should be borne in mind that while the possibility of relying on the protection of legitimate expectations, as a fundamental principle of EU law, is available to any economic operator whom an institution has caused to have justified expectations, the fact remains that, where a prudent and circumspect economic operator is able to foresee the adoption of an EU measure likely to affect his interests, he cannot rely on that principle if the measure is adopted. Nor can economic operators have a legitimate expectation that an existing situation which is capable of being altered by the EU institutions in the exercise of their discretion will be maintained, especially in an area such as monetary policy, the subject-matter of which is constantly being adjusted according to variations in the economic situation (see, to that effect and by analogy, judgments of 10 September 2009 in Plantanol, C‑201/08, ECR, EU:C:2009:539, paragraph 53 and the case-law cited; in AJD Tuna, cited in paragraph 75 above, EU:C:2011:153, paragraph 73; in Agrargenossenschaft Neuzelle, cited in paragraph 75 above, EU:C:2013:169, paragraph 26; and of 19 October 2005 in Cofradía de pescadores ‘San Pedro de Bermeo’ and Others v Council, T‑415/03, ECR, EU:T:2005:365, paragraph 78).