Judgment_paragraph 23 · Appeal — Actions for damages — Second paragraph of Article 340 TFEU — Excessive duration of the proceedings in two cases before the General Court of the European Union — Damage allegedly suffered by the applicants — Material damage — Bank guarantee charges — Causal link — Default interest — Non-material damage (C-138/17 P, C-146/17 P)

23It is therefore necessary to ascertain whether the breach of the obligation to adjudicate within a reasonable time in Cases T‑72/06 and T‑79/06 is the determining cause of the damage resulting from the payment of bank guarantee charges during the period by which that time was exceeded in order to establish the existence of a direct relationship of cause and effect between the conduct alleged against the Court of Justice of the European Union and the damage complained of.