Judgment of the Court (Fifth Chamber) of 1 August 2025 – France and Commission v CWS Powder Coatings and Others
(Joined Cases C-71/23 P and C-82/23 P) 1
(Appeal – Environment and protection of human health – Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 – Classification, labelling and packaging of substances and mixtures – Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/217 – Classification of titanium dioxide in powder form containing 1% or more of particles of a diameter equal to or below 10 μm – Criteria for classification of a substance as carcinogenic – Reliability and acceptability of scientific studies – Calculation of lung overload in particles – ‘Decisive’ nature of a scientific study – Distortion of the evidence – Error of law – Choice of calculation parameters – Particle density – Scientific assessment – Exceeding the limits of judicial review – Concept of ‘intrinsic properties’ – Grounds included for the sake of completeness)
Languages of the case: German and English
Parties
Appellants: French Republic (represented initially by G. Bain, J.-L. Carré and B. Fodda, subsequently by G. Bain, B. Fodda and B. Travard, and, lastly, by P. Chansou, B. Fodda and B. Travard, acting as Agents) (C-71/23 P); European Commission (represented by: A. Dawes, S. Delaude, R. Lindenthal and M. Noll-Ehlers, acting as Agents) (C-82/23 P)
Other parties to the proceeding: CWS Powder Coatings GmbH, Brillux GmbH & Co. KG, Daw SE (represented by: V. Lemonnier, C. Wagner, Rechtsanwälte, and R. van der Hout, advocaat) Billions Europe Ltd, Cinkarna Metalurško-kemična Industrija Celje d.d. (Cinkarna Celje d.d.), Evonik Operations GmbH, Kronos Titan GmbH, Precheza a.s., Tayca Corp., Tronox Pigments (Holland) BV, Venator Germany GmbH (represented initially by P. Chopova-Leprêtre, T. Delille and J.-P. Montfort, avocats, and subsequently by P. Chopova-Leprêtre and J.-P. Montfort, avocats), Kingdom of Denmark, Kingdom of the Netherlands (represented by: M.K. Bulterman and C.S. Schillemans, acting as Agents), Republic of Slovenia, Kingdom of Sweden, (represented by: H. Eklinder, F.-L. Göransson, C. Meyer-Seitz, A. Runeskjöld, M. Salborn Hodgson, R. Shahsavan Eriksson, H. Shev and O. Simonsson, acting as Agents), European Parliament, Council of the European Union, European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) (represented by: W. Broere, A. Hautamäki, M. Heikkilä, C. Jacquet and J.-P. Trnka, acting as Agents), Sto SE & Co. KGaA, formerly Sto AG, Ettengruber GmbH Abbruch und Tiefbau, Ettengruber GmbH Recycling und Verwertung, TIGER Coatings GmbH & Co. KG, Rembrandtin Coatings GmbH (represented by: V. Lemonnier, C. Wagner, Rechtsanwälte, and R. van der Hout, advocaat), Conseil Européen de l’Industrie Chimique – European Chemical Industry Council (Cefic) (represented initially by D. Abrahams, Z. Romata and H. Widemann, avocats, and subsequently by D. Abrahams and Z. Romata, avocats), Conseil Européen de l’Industrie des Peintures, des Encres d’Imprimerie et des Couleurs d’Art (CEPE), British Coatings Federation Ltd (BCF), American Coatings Association, Inc. (ACA) (represented by: I. Antypas and D. Waelbroeck, avocats), Mytilineos SA, Delfi-Distomon Anonymos Metalleytiki Etaireia
Operative part of the judgment
The Court:
Dismisses the appeals;
Orders the French Republic to bear its own costs and to pay the costs incurred by CWS Powder Coatings GmbH, Brillux GmbH & Co. KG, Daw SE, Billions Europe Ltd, Cinkarna Metalurško-kemična Industrija Celje d.d. (Cinkarna Celje d.d.), Evonik Operations GmbH, Kronos Titan GmbH, Precheza a.s., Tayca Corp, Tronox Pigments (Holland) BV, Venator Germany GmbH and by Sto SE & Co. KGaA in Case C-71/23 P;
Orders the European Commission to bear its own costs and to pay the costs incurred by CWS Powder Coatings GmbH, Brillux GmbH & Co. KG, Daw SE, Billions Europe Ltd, Cinkarna Metalurško-kemična Industrija Celje d.d. (Cinkarna Celje d.d.), Evonik Operations GmbH, Kronos Titan GmbH, Precheza a.s., Tayca Corp, Tronox Pigments (Holland) BV, Venator Germany GmbH and by Sto SE & Co. KGaA in Case C-82/23 P;
Orders the Kingdom of Netherlands, the Kingdom of Sweden, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), the Conseil Européen de l’Industrie Chimique – European Chemical Industry Council (Cefic), the Conseil Européen de l’Industrie des Peintures, des Encres d’Imprimerie et des Couleurs d’Art (CEPE), British Coatings Federation Ltd (BCF) and American Coatings Association, Inc. (ACA) to bear their own costs.
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1 OJ C 127, 11.4.2023.