Judgment of the General Court (Third Chamber) of 16 December 2015 —
Sweden v Commission

(Case T‑521/14)

Regulation (EU) No 528/2012 — Biocidal products — Action for failure to act — Specification of the scientific criteria for the determination of endocrine-disrupting properties — Failure by the Commission to adopt delegated acts — Duty to act

1.                     Actions for failure to act — Failure to act — Concept — No action taken — Measure not considered satisfactory — Not included (Art. 265 TFEU) (see paras 32, 33, 75)

2.                     Actions for failure to act — Position taken within the meaning of Article 265, second para., TFEU before the action brought — Concept — Letter confirming the analysis of the questions raised in the call to take action — Not included (Art. 265, second para., TFEU) (see paras 38, 40, 42-44, 46)

3.                     Actions for failure to act — Member States or institutions — Actionable omissions — Failure to adopt delegated acts concerning specification of the scientific criteria for the determination of endocrine-disrupting properties — Admissibility (Art. 265 TFEU; European Parliament and Council Regulation No 528/2012, Art. 5(3), first para.) (see paras 50, 53, 57, 58, 70)

Re:

APPLICATION for a declaration that the Commission unlawfully failed to adopt delegated acts concerning the scientific criteria for the determination of endocrine-disrupting properties.

Operative part

The Court:

1. Declares that the European Commission, by failing to adopt delegated acts to specify scientific criteria for the determination of endocrine-disrupting properties, has failed to fulfil its obligations under the first subparagraph of Article 5(3) of Regulation (EU) No 528/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 May 2012 concerning the making available on the market and use of biocidal products;

2. Orders the Commission to bear its own costs and to pay the costs incurred by the Kingdom of Sweden;

3. Orders the Kingdom of Denmark, the French Republic, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the Republic of Finland, the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union to bear their own costs.