Judgment of the General Court of 25 September 2015 — VECCO and Others v Commission
(Case T-360/13) 1
(REACH — Inclusion of chromium trioxide in the list of substances subject to authorisation — Uses or categories of uses exempted from the authorisation requirement — Concept of ‘existing specific Community legislation imposing minimum requirements relating to the protection of human health or the environment for the use of the substance’ — Manifest error of assessment — Proportionality — Rights of the defence — Principle of sound administration)
Language of the case: English
Parties
Applicants: Verein zur Wahrung von Einsatz und Nutzung von Chromtrioxid und anderen Chrom-VI-verbindungen in der Oberflächentechnik eV (VECCO) (Memmingen, Germany) and the other 185 applicants whose names are listed in Annex I to the judgment (represented by: C. Mereu, K. Van Maldegem, lawyers, and J. Beck, Solicitor)
Defendant: European Commission (represented by: K. Talabér-Ritz and J. Tomkin, acting as Agents)
Interveners in support of the applicants: Assogalvanica (Padua, Italy) and the 31 other interveners whose names are listed in Annex II to the judgment (represented by: C. Mereu, K. Van Maldegem and J. Beck)
Intervener in support of the defendant: European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) (represented by: W. Broere, M. Heikkilä and T. Zbihlej, acting as Agents)
Re:
Application for partial annulment of Commission Regulation (EU) No 348/2013 of 17 April 2013 amending Annex XIV to Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) (OJ 2013 L 108, p. 1).
Operative part of the judgment
The Court:
Dismisses the action;
Orders Verein zur Wahrung von Einsatz und Nutzung von Chromtrioxid und anderen Chrom-VI-verbindungen in der Oberflächentechnik eV (VECCO) and the applicants whose names are listed in Annex I to bear their own costs and to pay those incurred by the European Commission;
Orders Assogalvanica and the other interveners whose names are listed in Annex II to bear their own costs;
Orders the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) to bear its own costs.
____________1 OJ C 260, 7.9.2013.