Action brought on 5 September 2011 - Agrucon and Others v Commission

(Case T-482/11)

Language of the case: English

Parties

Applicants: Agrupación Española de Fabricantes de Conservas Vegetales (Agrucon) (Madrid, Spain), Associazione Italiana Industrie Prodotti Alimentari (AIIPA) (Milan, Italy), Associazione Nazionale degli Industriali delle Conserve Alimentari Vegetali (Anicav) (Napoli, Italy), Campil-Agro-Industrial do Campo do Tejo, Ldª (Cartaxo, Portugal), Evropaïka Trofima AE (Larissa, Greece), FIT - Fomento da Indústria do Tomate, SA (Águas de Moura, Portugal), Konservopoiïa Oporokipeftikon Filippos AE (Veria, Greece), Panellinia Enosi Konsepvopoion (Athens, Greece), Elliniki Etairia Konservon AE ("KYKNOS") (Nafplio, Greece), Anonymos Viomichaniki Etaireia Konservon D. Nomikos (Marousi, Greece), Italagro - Indústria de Transformação de Produtos Alimentares, SA (Castanheira do Ribatejo, Portugal), Kopais Anonymi Viomichaniki Kai Emporiki Etairia Trofimon & Poton (Kopais ABEE) (Maroussi, Greece), Serraïki Konservopoiïa Oporokipeftikon Serko AE (Serres, Greece), Sociedade de Industrialização de Produtos Agrícolas - Sopragol, SA (Mora, Portugal), Sugalidal - Indústrias de Alimentação, SA (Benavente, Portugal), Sutol - Indústrias Alimentares, Ldª (Alcácer do Sal, Portugal), Zanae Zýmai Artopoiías Níkoglou AE Viomichanía Empório Trofímon (Thessaloniki, Greece) (represented by: J. da Cruz Vilaça, S. Estima Martins and S. Carvalho de Sousa, lawyers)

Defendant: European Commission

Form of order sought

-    Annul the provisions of Article 50(3) and Article 60(7) of Commission Regulation No 543/2011¹;

Order that the present case and case T-454/2010 be joined, for the purposes of the oral procedure and of the final judgment, or, at least, for the purposes of the oral procedure; and

Order the defendant to pay the costs.

Pleas in law and main arguments

In support of the action, the applicants rely on three pleas in law.

First plea in law, alleging that Commission Regulation No 543/2011 breaches Council Regulation (EC) No 1234/2007 of 22 October 2007 establishing a common organisation of agricultural markets and on specific provisions for certain agricultural products (Single CMO Regulation) (OJ 2007 L 299, p. 1), as:

It wrongly states that investments and actions related to the transformation of fruit and vegetables into processed fruit and vegetables may be eligible for support; and

It wrongly included the so-called non-"genuine processing activities" (which apparently cover preparation and post-genuine processing) in the value of marketed production of products intended for processing, as the Single CMO Regulation establishes that the provisions on producer organisations, namely the granting of aid, shall apply only to products covered by the common market organisation for fruit and vegetables.

Second plea in law, alleging that by granting to producer organisations aid that covers industrial operations performed over fruit and vegetables intended for processing, also carried out by private industries, Commission Regulation No 543/2011 breaches the principle of non-discrimination which prohibits treating comparable situations differently, unless such treatment is objectively justified.

Third plea in law, alleging that by granting to producer organisations aid that covers industrial operations performed over fruit and vegetables intended for processing, also carried out by private industries, Commission Regulation No 543/2011 breaches the principle of proportionality in so far as it exceeds what would be necessary to achieve a hypothetical objective of the Common Agricultural Policy related to the vertical integration of producer organisations.

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¹ - Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 543/2011 of 7 June 2011 laying down detailed rules for the application of Council Regulation (EC) No 1234/2007 in respect of the fruit and vegetables and processed fruit and vegetables sectors (OJ 2011 L 157, p. 1)