27/02/2015 (Agence Europe) - Restrictive measures against two Iranian banks could be lifted. Advocate General Eleanor Sharpston recommended on Thursday 26 February (joined cases C-176/13 and C-200/13) that the Court of Justice of the EU reject the appeal by the Council of the EU to have overturned the 2013 rulings by the General Court of the EU quashing the freeze on the assets of two Iranian banks, Bank Mellat and Bank Saderat Iran (see EUROPE 10778). In her opinion, the Advocate General noted that the General Court had been correct in ruling that the Council had infringed the requirement to state reasons, the evidence in support of the allegations against the banks being insufficient. The Council argued that the evidence was confidential and did not supply it either previously or now. This is the first time that such an argument has been put to the Court of Justice, the Advocate General said. (Jan Kordys)