Judgment of the General Court of 25 September 2015 — PPG and SNF v ECHA
(Case T-268/10 RENV) 1
(REACH — Identification of acrylamide as a substance of very high concern — Intermediates — Action for annulment — Whether directly concerned — Admissibility — Proportionality — Equal treatment)
Language of the case: English
Parties
Applicants: Polyelectrolyte Producers Group GEIE (PPG) (Brussels, Belgium) and SNF SAS (Andrézieux-Bouthéon, France) (represented by: R. Cana, D. Abrahams and E. Mullier, lawyers)
Defendant: European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) (represented by: M. Heikkilä, W. Broere and T. Zbihlej, acting as Agents, and by J. Stuyck and A.-M. Vandromme, lawyers)
Interveners in support of the defendant: Kingdom of the Netherlands (represented by: B. Koopman, acting as Agent); and European Commission (represented by: D. Kukovec, E. Manhaeve and K. Talabér-Ritz, acting as Agents)
Re:
Application for annulment of the decision of ECHA (EC No 201-173-7) identifying acrylamide as a substance fulfilling the criteria referred to in Article 57 of Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 December 2006, concerning the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH), establishing a European Chemicals Agency, amending Directive 1999/45/EC and repealing Council Regulation (EEC) No 793/93 and Commission Regulation (EC) No 1488/94 as well as Council Directive 76/769/EEC and Commission Directives 91/155/EEC, 93/67/EEC, 93/105/EC and 2000/21/EC (OJ 2006 L 396, p. 1), in accordance with Article 59 thereof.
Operative part of the judgment
The Court:
Dismisses the action;
Orders Polyelectrolyte Producers Group GEIE (PPG) and SNF SAS to pay their own costs and those incurred by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA);
Orders the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the European Commission to bear their own costs.
____________1 OJ C 274, 9.10.2010.