Judgment of the General Court (Seventh Chamber) of 1 February 2013 — Polyelectrolyte Producers Group and Others v Commission

(Case T‑368/11)

REACH — Transitional measures concerning the restrictions on the placing on the market and use of acrylamide for grouting applications — Annex XVII to Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 — Proportionality — Obligation to state reasons

1.                     Approximation of laws — Registration, evaluation, authorisation and restriction of chemicals — Regulation No 366/2011 amending the REACH regulation — Introduction of restrictions on the substance acylamide — Discretion of the EU institutions — Scope — Judicial review — Limits (European Parliament and Council Regulation No 1907/2006, Annex XVII; Commission Regulation No 366/2011, Art. 1) (see paras 29, 31)

2.                     Approximation of laws — Registration, evaluation, authorisation and restriction of chemicals — Regulation No 366/2011 amending the REACH regulation — Introduction of restrictions on the substance acylamide — Assessment with regard to the principle of proportionality — Discretion of the legislature — Area involving political, economic and social choices — Judicial review — Limits — Legality in the absence of manifest error of assessment having regard to the objective pursued (European Parliament and Council Regulation No 1907/2006, Annex XVII; Commission Regulation No 366/2011, Art. 1) (see paras 75, 76)

3.                     Acts of the institutions — Statement of reasons — Obligation — Scope — Account taken of the context and all the legal rules (Art. 296, second para., TFEU) (see para. 101)

Re:

APPLICATION for annulment of Commission Regulation (EU) No 366/2011 of 14 April 2011 amending Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) as regards Annex XVII (Acrylamide) (OJ 2011 L 101, p. 12).

Operative part

The Court:

1. Dismisses the action;

2. Orders Polyelectrolyte Producers Group, SNF SAS and Travetanche Injection SPRL to bear the costs they have incurred in the main proceedings and to pay those incurred by the European Commission;

3. Orders Travetanche Injection to pay the costs relating to the proceedings for interim measures;

4. Orders the Kingdom of the Netherlands to bear its own costs.