Judgment of the General Court of 12 June 2015 — Plantavis and NEM v Commission and EFSA
(Case T-334/12) 1
(Consumer protection — Health claims made on foods — Regulation (EU) No 432/2012 — Action for annulment — Regulatory act not entailing implementing measures — Direct concern — Admissibility — Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 — Plea of illegality — Register of health claims)
Language of the case: German
Parties
Applicants: Plantavis GmbH (Berlin, Germany); and NEM, Verband mittelständischer europäischer Hersteller und Distributoren von Nahrungsergänzungsmitteln & Gesundheitsprodukten eV (Laudert, Germany) (represented by: T. Büttner, lawyer)
Defendants: European Commission (represented by: L. Pignataro-Nolin and S. Grünheid, acting as Agents); and European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) (represented by: D. Detken, acting as Agent, and by R. Van der Hout and A. Köhler, lawyers)
Intervener in support of the defendant European Commission: European Parliament (represented by: J. Rodrigues and P. Schonard, acting as Agents)
Intervener in support of the defendants, European Commission and EFSA: Council of the European Union (represented by: M. Simm and I. Šulce, acting as Agents)
Re:
Application for annulment, first, of Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 December 2006 on nutrition and health claims made on foods (OJ 2006 L 404, p. 9), and, secondly, of Commission Regulation (EU) No 432/2012 of 16 May 2012 establishing a list of permitted health claims made on foods, other than those referring to the reduction of disease risk and to children’s development and health (OJ 2012 L 136, p. 1), and of the Register of nutrition and health claims made on food, published on the website of the Commission.
Operative part of the judgment
The Court:
Dismisses the action;
Orders Plantavis GmbH and NEM, Verband mittelständischer europäischer Hersteller und Distributoren von Nahrungsergänzungsmitteln & Gesundheitsprodukten eV to bear their own costs and, in addition, to pay the costs incurred by the European Commission and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA);
Orders the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament to bear their own costs.
____________1 OJ C 311, 13.10.2012.